Police officers in misconduct probe over gangland murder

Four top police officers are being investigated amid misconduct claims following a gangland murder in South Staffordshire nine years ago.

The officers, who include a chief constable and his deputy as well as a senior officer from West Midlands Police, were part of the team investigating the execution-style shooting of 20-year-old amateur footballer Kevin Nunes in Pattingham in 2002.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) today confirmed it had launched an inquiry.

Those under investigation are Staffordshire assistant chief constable Jane Sawyers and Marcus Beale, assistant chief constable at West Midlands Police, as well as Northamptonshire chief constable Adrian Lee and his deputy Suzette Davenport.

The officers have not been suspended.

The IPCC is believed to be examining how the murder of Mr Nunes was handled by the Staffordshire force and whether potentially relevant evidence was withheld from the prosecution in the trial.

The five men jailed for a total of 135 years in connection with the murder of Mr Nunes in 2008 launched an appeal and asked the Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate.

It has subsequently referred the case to the IPCC.

Nunes, a drug dealer, who had been on the books of Tottenham Hotspur, was found with five gunshot wounds in September 2002.

His killers – Levi Walker, from Birmingham; Antonio Christie, from Great Bridge; Adam Joof, from Willenhall; Michael Osbourne, and Owen Crooks, both from Wolverhampton – were all jailed for life after being found guilty of murder by a jury at Leicester Crown Court in 2007.

An IPCC spokesman said: "We can confirm the Independent Police Complaints Commission is managing an investigation into allegations against a number of former and serving Staffordshire Police officers.

"The investigation is being carried out by the Chief Constable of Derbyshire, Mick Creedon."

Lee Page, spokesman for West Midlands Police, said: "The matter has been considered by the chief constable and West Midlands Police Authority and the officer concerned has not been suspended."

A Staffordshire Police Authority spokesman stressed notices of investigation were "not judgmental" and did not indicate wrongdoing.

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