Met Police officer jailed for 12 months over 'plebgate' affair
A Metropolitan Police officer has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of misconduct in public office over the "plebgate" scandal.
Police watchdog condemns 'collusion' between officers
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has criticised "collusion" between officers involved in the 'plebgate' row.
Speaking after Pc Keith Wallis was jailed for 12 months for lying about witnessing the incident, the body's head Deborah Glass said: "The patchwork of evidence from emails, text messages and telephone calls does not suggest an organised conspiracy to bring down a Cabinet Minister.
"But there was clearly collusion between certain officers to, as they saw it, blow the whistle on bad behaviour toward one of their own, which ultimately had the same effect."
She added: "The actions of Pc Wallis - and the other officers responsible for turning a largely inaudible altercation lasting less than a minute into a national scandal - have not only caused injustice to Mr Mitchell, they have brought shame upon the police service.
"Now that the criminal proceedings have concluded it is important for the Metropolitan Police Service to proceed as quickly as possible to the misconduct hearings and to deal effectively with any underlying issues so that they can finally close the book on this sorry chapter."
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