The British Home Secretary, Mr David Blunkett, yesterday welcomed the resignation of the Sussex Police Chief Constable, Mr Paul Whitehouse, who was strongly criticised over the shooting of an unarmed man.
Mr Blunkett, who said the resignation was "in the best interests of the force", had effectively called for his removal earlier this week when he urged the Sussex Police Authority to act to restore public confidence in the force following the shooting of James Ashley in 1998.
Despite a three-year investigation into the shooting by two police forces and accusations of "complete corporate failure" at the Sussex force, nobody has been convicted on any criminal charges relating to Ashley's death. He was naked in bed with his girlfriend when officers burst into his St Leonard's flat in Hastings in a 4 a.m. drugs raid. He was shot once in the chest as he opened a door.
The Special Operations unit officer who shot him, and was later acquitted of his murder, said he believed he was armed. However, intelligence reports had wrongly suggested that Ashley had previous ly used a shotgun and was involved with a gang dealing drugs. Ashley did have a previous conviction for manslaughter.
It is understood that the Sussex Police Authority considered Mr Whitehouse's support for the promotion of several officers involved in the incident was "the final straw".
Mr Whitehouse, who will leave his post in September, insisted in a statement that he had done nothing wrong. "I am happy for my judgment to be questioned but I have never knowingly misled anyone, withheld information from anyone or behaved dishonestly," he said.
A Cambridge graduate, Mr Whitehouse had a reputation for liberalism and challenging stereotypes since being appointed Chief Constable of Sussex in 1993.
He claimed poverty was one of the root causes of crime and advertised for recruits in a newspaper circulated in the gay community.
Yet even before Kent police had begun their investigation into the fatal shooting, Mr Whitehouse risked angering senior colleagues when he issued a press release in which he defended the conduct of his officers, insisting the operation was "professionally and competently executed". He also, incorrectly, told the media that Ashley was wanted for attempted murder. In its report on the shooting, Kent Police concluded that the raid on Ashley's flat had been authorised on intelligence that was "not merely exaggerated, it was determinably false." When Hampshire Police were called on to conduct a second inquiry there was further criticism of the Sussex force and Mr Whitehouse. The Hampshire police found that Mr Whitehouse, acting to defend his officers, had "willfully" failed to tell what he knew about the raid.
Ms Eileen Ashley, James Ashley's mother, said from her Liverpool home: "This is very welcome news. This is something we've been waiting for."