Grampian Police Board in Scotland yesterday began proceedings to remove the controversial Chief Constable of Grampian Police, Dr Ian Oliver, from his post amid his continued refusal to resign following a damning report into his force's handling of a murder investigation last year.
After an emergency meeting of the board, its convenor, Mr Patrick Chalmers, said Dr Oliver had attempted to "cut a financial deal" but that the deal was "simply unacceptable to us". He said Dr Oliver would be given 10 days to make "further representations" to the board after which it would consider his position.
The controversy over Dr Oliver erupted earlier this week when an internal police inquiry into the investigation of the murder of Scott Simpson by the convicted paedophile, Steven Leisk, last July, concluded that Grampian Police was guilty of "serious corporate failure".
The inquiry, carried out by the Deputy Chief Constable of Lothian Police, Mr Graham Power, accused police officers of "lacking professional vigour" in following up leads in the case and took too long to identify Leisk as the suspect.
Leisk was later convicted of the murder and sentenced to life but the inquiry concluded that the force's report into the case, which was requested by Scottish Office Ministers after Leisk's trial, invited "speculation that is intended to draw the mind away from the truth".
Earlier, a member of the board, Mr Duncan Crawford, resigned in disgust at Dr Oliver's refusal to leave his post. The sudden resignation of Mr Crawford, a former police officer, came after the board passed a vote of no confidence against Dr Oliver at an emergency meeting.
The board also described the inquiry into the force as a "fair and reasonable summary" of the investigation into the Simpson case. However, after more than two hours in private session with the board, Mr Crawford emerged to say that Dr Oliver had no intention of resigning.
Mr Crawford said he had found the whole affair "very distasteful" and he insisted that Dr Oliver had treated the people of north-east Scotland with "absolute con tempt".
Mr Chalmers described the board's dealings with Dr Oliver as a "magical mystery tour" and that he was a "mercurial, strange man".
Immediately after Mr Crawford's resignation, Dr Oliver attempted to explain his position. Dr Oliver said that the board had refused his offer to bring forward the date of his retirement from August 31st this year to May 5th and a pledge that he would go on immediate leave from that date.
Earlier, in the Commons, the Scottish Secretary, Mr Donald Dewar, supported the no confidence vote against Dr Oliver, saying the board's decision was "totally justified".