The chief constable of Northamptonshire police, Ivan Balhatchet, has been fined £50,000 for contempt of court after his force repeatedly failed to hand over video footage of an arrest. Three senior judges at the Court of Appeal delivered the punishment on Thursday, following a ruling last week that the force had been 'wilfully disobedient'.
The case stems from the arrest of Nadine Buzzard-Quashie in September 2021. She was taken into custody but prosecutors later dropped the case. Buzzard-Quashie sought video footage of her arrest, including from police body-worn cameras, which the force failed to provide despite multiple court orders.
Counsel for Northamptonshire police, Dijen Basu KC, described the force's conduct as 'shocking' and said it had breached every order made against it over four years. The force only complied 'extremely belatedly' by handing over all footage, which Basu accepted was 'utterly inexcusable'.
Chief Constable Balhatchet appeared in uniform to personally apologise, stating: 'The failure of my force has been appalling.' He acknowledged the 'numerous errors' and the hurt caused to Buzzard-Quashie, who had represented herself for most of the legal saga. He added: 'It is my responsibility to make sure it never happens again.'
The judges noted that one video clip, which police had previously claimed did not exist, vindicated Buzzard-Quashie's concerns about her arrest. They praised her tenacity, saying: 'Without her tenacity and resilience, none of this would have seen the light of day.' The matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which will investigate two staff members and one senior police officer.
