A staff association of police constables, sergeants and inspectors has called on convicted law breaker crime boss Caroline Henry to "serious consider her position". Conservative crime commissioner Mrs Henry was caught speeding five times and sentenced for her crimes, but many were outraged after she remained resolute in retaining her position.
Mrs Henry, Nottinghamshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, was sentenced at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on July 18 having pleading guilty to speeding five times. She was given a fine amounting to £2,450, prosecution costs, a victim surcharge of £190, and 15 penalty points on her licence.
Her lawyer had argued exceptional circumstances in an attempt to prevent her losing her licence, however the district judge banned her for six months. The circumstances of the case became clear after she spoke to Nottinghamshire Live in an exclusive interview, revealing one of her children "had tried to take their own life and had been sectioned in hospital".
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"I was regularly travelling to and from the hospital and I was under very significant pressure," she added. She agreed to the interview not to evoke any sympathy, but instead to place into context the traumatic events and feelings she had been dealing with at the time.
However many are still insistent her role is untenable. Nottinghamshire Police Federation chairman Simon Riley is now urging Mrs Henry to consider her position.
Mr Riley questioned whether she would still be able to perform her role as crime boss in which she is responsible for holding the force to account and overseeing its spending. He said: "Caroline Henry has committed a string of quite serious motoring offences and has rightly been punished for them.
"But she holds an extremely important public office which relies to a great extent on having the trust and confidence of police officers and staff within the Force as well as members of the public across Nottinghamshire. I believe that a conviction of this nature will inevitably erode that trust and confidence and I think Caroline Henry should seriously consider her position and ask herself if it is appropriate for her to continue in this role in the future.
“Integrity and professionalism form the very bedrocks of policing and I know that Police Federation members, who would almost certainly find themselves the subject of a misconduct investigation in similar circumstances, have lost trust and confidence in her ability to perform her role as PCC. Caroline Henry should now reflect on her conviction and sentence and then do the right thing.”
Alex Norris, Nottingham North's Labour MP and former member of the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel, added: "The Police and Crime Commissioner holds the police to account for their actions to tackle speeding. Clearly, having broken the law herself so many times Caroline Henry cannot do that. And so she cannot do the PCC job properly and should resign."
However chairwoman of the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel and magistrate of 10 years, Christine Goldstraw, said the judge had taken into consideration the underlying Henry family difficulties and deemed the punishment to be appropriate.
"It was a very reasonable sentencing. You could have increased the disqualification so clearly there was a little sympathy, but not a lot," she said. "She has been dealt with appropriately. She has got her just deserts, as it were.
"She is an elected officer, the decision was hers to make whether to stay or not to stay. We do not have any power at all as a panel. As far as the panel is concerned all matters are closed."
Mrs Henry has been approached for comment.
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