Lincolnshire PCC Alan Hardwick and Police Chief Constable Neil Rhodes. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Lincolnshire Police Chief Constable Neil Rhodes’ suspension from the force has been quashed in court on Thursday.
Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick’s decision to suspend Mr Rhodes has been described as “irrational” and “perverse” by the judge after a hearing at the Administrative Court in Manchester.
Neil Rhodes returned as Lincolnshire Police Chief Constable on Thursday evening, but the contract for his temporary role expires on March 31.
Deputy Chief Constable Alec Wood, was named Acting Chief Constable during the suspension, is set to continue in the role from Tuesday.
Neil Rhodes is contracted for another year as Deputy Chief Constable. He took on this role under Chief Constable Richard Crompton, who retired in March 2012 and appointed Neil Rhodes as Temporary Chief Constable.
As previously reported, Mr Rhodes and the first elected Lincolnshire PCC Alan Hardwick were in court this week over Chief Constable’s suspension.
The PCC suspended Mr Rhodes on February 25 over matters relating to his involvement in allegations of racial discrimination.
Alan Hardwick claimed Mr Rhodes assisted West Yorkshire Police lawyer Afzal Hussain, who was suing his former employer after he was dismissed from the force after 17 years.
The PCC claimed Neil Rhodes helped the senior Muslim lawyer to use his ethnicity to pursue damages from the force, despite knowing the claim was a “contrivance”.
Mr Rhodes denied any wrongdoing and his lawyers argued that the PCC’s decision was “near nuclear”, done either through inexperience or without the appropriate advice.
Mr Hardwick’s lawyers argued that he was “justified” in suspending the Chief Constable.
The court ordered the costs of the case, estimated to be £50,000, to be met by the PCC, which has subsequently confirmed Lincolnshire taxpayers will foot the bill.
After the suspension in February, the PCC referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and put Acting Chief Constable Alec Wood in charge of the force meanwhile.
The IPCC referred the matter back to the PCC and said it will not look further into the matter because it did “not amount to serious corruption or misconduct.”
Sir Peter Fahy, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, has also been appointed by the PCC to carry out an independent investigation into the matter.
Different interpretation
Alan Hardwick, the first elected Lincolnshire PCC. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Alan Hardwick said in a statement after the hearing: “Whilst I accept today’s decision, I must emphasise that the court’s interpretation of the information I received is very different to mine.
“My concern is that in future, any decision made by a Police and Crime Commissioner which could be considered contentious, is likely to be open to challenge in the courts. The investigation into the serious allegations is still ongoing under the direction of Sir Peter Fahy.”
Chief Constable resumes control
Lincolnshire Police Chief Constable Neil Rhodes. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Chief Constable Neil Rhodes returned to Lincolnshire Police HQ on Thursday evening and issued his first statement since getting back in control of the force.
He said: “Having been reinstated as a Constable and Chief Constable, I have travelled back from the judicial review hearing at Manchester and have met with my chief officer team and have resumed control of the force.
“Over the Easter period I will be taking a long-planned period of leave and I look forward to serving the community of Lincolnshire as best I am able upon my return.
“I would very much like to thank the huge number of people in the Lincolnshire Police and ordinary members of the public for their messages of support which number several hundred. I am really grateful to them and I want to get back to work to repay their faith in me.
“The most important thing now is that all of our attention turns to policing the County of Lincolnshire,” Chief Constable Rhodes added.
‘Common sense prevailed’
Neil Rhodes also read a statement outside the court in Manchester, saying the proceedings were “entirely unnecessary” and took a toll on him and his family.
He said: “I’m very pleased with the decision of the judge today who has declared my suspension irrational and perverse and therefore unlawful.
“I will return to work now and continue to serve Lincolnshire Police with the personal and professional integrity that I believe I have displayed over the past 27 years.
“The judgement today has demonstrated this was entirely unnecessary, as the PCC’s concerns should have been resolved professionally and with proper investigation.
“I endeavour to resolve this and had hoped common sense would prevail. I maintained a dignified silence in the media throughout. Court was absolutely my final recourse.
“I now look forward to a mature and constructive discussion with the commissioner about my future working relationship.”
Reality check for PCCs
Lincoln MP Karl McCartney, who has previously written to Home Secretary Theresa May over the issue, commented: “After the decision by the IPCC not to investigate this matter, this verdict by the High Court in Manchester should be seen as a reality check for PCCs up and down our country.
“Commissioners need to think long and hard before taking the decision to suspend a chief constable, and as my initial reservations have borne out, this case just goes to show there are always two sides to every story.”
Calls for PCC resignation
Giles McNeill, Conservative Councillor for the Nettleham Ward, has called on PCC Alan Harwick to resign following the ruling.
Councillor McNeill said: “It is clear that Alan Hardwick is not up to the job of being Police and Crime Commissioner. He has bungled this suspension of the Chief Constable, Neil Rhodes.
“It was clear that something was amiss when, having referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, they decided that the matter was not sufficient for their investigation.
“The time has come for Commissioner Hardwick to do the honourable thing and resign,” Giles McNeill added.
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Two men have died after a van crashed with a lorry on the A17 near Boston on Friday afternoon.
It happened shortly after midday on July 23, on the A17 between Bicker Bar and Wigtoft. The collision involved an HGV and a van.
A 46-year-old man and a 31-year-old man travelling in the van were pronounced dead at the scene, despite efforts from emergency services. Their families have been informed.
The driver of the HGV suffered minor injuries.
The road has been closed in both directions and will remain closed until at least 10pm on July 23, while officers carry out an initial investigation and recover the vehicles.
Lincolnshire Police are appealing for anyone who was in the area and may have witnessed the collision to contact officers as soon as possible.
Officers are particularly keen to see any dashcam footage which might have captured the vehicles prior to the collision, or the collision itself.
Detective Sergeant James Kirk from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This is a devastating incident for all involved and our thoughts are with the families of both men at this time.
“We are in the very early stages of our investigation, and we would be very grateful for any assistance that the public can offer us in piecing together what happened.
“Any information, no matter how small you think it might be, will be a great help.
“We would be keen to see any relevant dashcam footage or speak to anyone who witnessed the collision.”
If you think you can help with the investigations please contact police in the following ways:
By clicking on the email link [email protected] with incident 212 of July 23 in the subject
Via our non-emergency number 101, quoting incident 212 of July 23
Through the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org
A Lincolnshire distance runner selected for the 10,000m race at the Tokyo Olympic Games is looking to do his county and his country proud, but he’s already done that and more for his Grimsby-based parents.
The Lincolnite caught up with Helen and Bob Atkin, parents of Team GB Olympic hopeful Sam Atkin, who will be running in the 10,000m event at the Tokyo games, an event that Sir Mo Farah famously won two gold medals in at the 2016 and 2012 Olympics.
During an incredibly emotional interview, with tears of joy and pride from parents Helen and Bob, they reminisced about Sam’s introduction into running and the obstacles he had to face along the way.
Sam Atkin will be representing Team GB in the 10,000m race at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Sam originally, and rather ironically, grew up playing as a goalkeeper in football, but it wasn’t until a cross country race at school where his true talents were realised.
Helen and Bob told The Lincolnite: “When he was 11, there was a cross country race at Healing school in Grimsby, and we told him if he finished in the top 10 we’d give him £100.
“There were some vey good runners out there, some who were training regularly, and Sam beat them by miles. We had parents looking around saying ‘wow, look at that boy so far in front!’
“That was the moment we knew he was special, we decided to sign him up for a running club straight after that.”
Sam is learning the game and is always studying tracks and trying to better himself.
Sam then joined Grimsby Harriers, winning every race he ran in, before eventually moving onto Lincoln Wellington at the age of 15 because he was getting so quick that he would win adult races.
While at Lincoln, Helen and Bob, who live in Grimsby, would have to drive Sam to and from training each day while juggling his school work and their own jobs at HMRC and Associated British Ports respectively, working flexible hours to support their son.
His dad Bob said: “We always knew he had talent, but it’s the unrivalled spirit and determination he has, you could almost call it stubbornness, which is just about the only thing I can claim he got from me!”
Sam moved to America when he was 18 and hasn’t looked back since.
His next big step came at 18-years-old, when he was offered a scholarship in Idaho in the United States of America.
Sam currently lives and trains in Idaho, meaning his contact with his family has been limited, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Success appears to run deep in the Atkin family, as Sam’s twin sister Jen is the reigning Miss Great Britain.
Sam Atkin will represent Team GB in the 10,000m race at the Olympics in Tokyo, but it all started in Lincolnshire.
Helen said that the twins were huge parts of one another’s careers and successes, thanks to the “special bond” they both have.
Sam qualified for the Olympic Games in dramatic fashion, after narrowly missing out on the 5,000m qualifying time, which is his preferred event, but then went on to run the now 5th fastest 10k in UK history.
Sam nearly missed the call up to the Olympic squad entirely after changing his phone, but in a rather poignant sequence of events, he found out the news while back at home with his parents.
The biggest stage of Sam Atkins’ career is just round the corner.
Bob explains: “He got a new phone number, but the Team GB selectors had his old number so they couldn’t get through to him. Eventually his agent was contacted and he let Sam know, but Sam didn’t tell us for 30 minutes! We were stunned into silence when he told us.”
His heat run will take place at 12.40pm on Friday, July 30, and Sam’s parents will be watching the race from home, but in different rooms!
“We both get very nervous watching Sam run,” Helen explains. “When we went to events with him I’d be at one end of the field and Bob would be at the other end.”
He chased the dream and now he can achieve it.
Sam is set to be the only self-funded runner of the 29 competitors in the event, giving him an underdog status that his dad Bob says he thrives under.
“It’s like Grimsby Town being chucked into the Premier League, it sounds negative but trust me it’s not, wherever he finishes he’ll make us proud.
“When he was younger we just used to tell him to run as fast as he can, now that he’s reached the top level, the advice gets tougher, so we sent him a message to go with his Team GB kit that just read: ‘Keep your head up and get on with it’.
“We cannot express the pride we feel for him, it’s all too much to be honest with you. Make no mistake about it, he’s earned his way there and he deserves this so much.”
The second mural as part of the Sincil Bank Art Project has been completed, showcasing the famous Lincoln Star Clematis from the 1950s and spreading positivity in the process.
The Sincil Bank Art Project is a community scheme in which various artists will paint murals onto walls in the Sincil Bank area of Lincoln.
The first project, a portrait of Lincolnshire-born physicist Sir Isaac Newton, was completed by French street artist Zabou on the corner of Sincil Bank and Kirkby Street in April.
Sophie Mess, stood by her triumphant mural at Trollope Street in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The latest mural has come from another globally renowned artist, this time in the form of Sophie Mess, who was recommended for the project by Zabou herself.
Sophie Mess took over four days spray painting the mural. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Sophie’s ‘Project 002’ design at Trollope Street took four and a half days, and depicts the Lincoln Star Clematis, a flower first bred in the 1950s by Lincoln-born botanist Walter Pennell.
On the mural there are the words “Shine Bright” which Student Housing director Harry Conti told The Lincolnite was done to spread a message of positivity in the area.
The mural stands tall at Trollope Street in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
He said: “We’re hoping these murals will bring more people to the area and already we’re seeing the difference. People are stopping or detouring on their journeys just to look at the two murals, it’s amazing.”
Sophie spoke with pride when discussing her mural and the reaction it has got, stating that the positive messages and the joy it brings to people is “exactly what it’s all about.”
Hannah Dines is the owner of the property the mural is painted on, and says she couldn’t resist suggesting her house for the project.
Sophie is delighted with the end result and said she was honoured to be a part of the project. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
She told The Lincolnite: “Having seen project 001 and Zabou’s wonderful creation I contacted The Sincil Bank Art Project and offered my wall for a future project.
“I’ve been lucky to grow up in a creative arts environment, and love art in all its forms. I’m also very community based; I really enjoy sharing, supporting and getting involved in local projects.
“Sophie’s artwork is incredible and she’s been such a pleasure to have here – giving me updates and being just super chatty and friendly. Her work ethic and artwork are both awesome and I’m so glad she agreed to create a piece of her work in Lincoln.
“I feel truly humbled and so very lucky to have such an amazing piece of art on the side of my house – it’s surpassed all my expectations, size, style, colour, wow factor! I had seen the design before Sophie arrived but never expected the final result to be so stunning.”
The Lincoln Star Clematis is accompanied by the message “Shine Bright”. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
For future plans, the SBAP is hoping to have up to 30 murals in the Sincil Bank area within the next five years, which would eventually lead to an interactive trail of them all, using QR codes.
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