Nick Gargan: Avon and Somerset chief constable resigns

Charlotte Leslie, the MP for Bristol North West, has told ITV News she believes Nick Gargan's dismissal to be "a joke".

The conservative MP condemned the process that led to the Avon and Somerset Chief Constable being asked to resign, and said she will launch an enquiry with other Tory politicians into the IPCC enquiry which started the process.

Mr Gargan was told to step down after an independent panel found him guilty of eight counts of misconduct - his resignation was accepted today. But Charlotte Leslie said at the time the process smacks of "a witch hunt devoid of real facts".

• Bristol MP says call for Gargan to resign is 'witch hunt'

Avon & Somerset's Chief Constable Nick Gargan has resigned after being found guilty of misconduct.

Nick Gargan had faced mounting calls to quit after being found guilty of misconduct three months ago. He'd been suspended on full pay for more than a year.

• Nick Gargan "deeply sorry" for misconduct

The Police and Crime Commissioner of Avon and Somerset said he abused his position by forwarding confidential emails, interfering with a proper recruitment process and storing intimate images on his work phone.

Commissioner Sue Mountstevens had previously told ITV News the situation had been "damaging for everyone concerned", and initiated the process to require Mr Gargan to resign.

Mr Gargan will receive three-month’s salary in lieu of notice - as the terms of his contract state.