Presiding over, but not necessarily altogether happy with the way his Kingdom is going.

Paul Whitehouse was the Chief Constable of Sussex police from 1993, until 2001. He supported the unlawful demolition of Bushywood animal sanctuary, sending his officers to make sure that Wealden District Council's (WC) bulldozing of the stable buildings went without a hitch. This was at the behest of one of the most corrupt planning officers, the local authority had cultivated, since at least 1983; Ian Kay. Ian Kay operated under the direction of Derek Holness, WC's chief executive, who was lining himself up for a nice retirement "Golden Handshake." Ian Kay (assistant district planning officer) worked with Ashley J Brown, the district planning officer, who authorised the demolition of the Bushywood stables.

Nothing in this world would stop Mr Holness, from receiving his retirement lump sum, and that included any person challenging WC's operational legality. For, if it is that he participated in criminal activity, or a criminal cover up, his earnings could be considered proceeds of crime, and confiscated. A powerful motive to bury Victor von Woolfe.

Where, Whitehouse has "willfully failed to tell the truth." That 'cover-up' culture is alleged to have pervaded Wealden Council. And from there, district councillors regularly migrated to East Sussex County Council (ESCC). Thus, infecting ESCC with the same tendency to cover up the truth, and nurse lies, as part of their institutionalised modus operandi. The motive for which, is money. Their substantial payoff's, as taxpayer's expense, in return for 'Keeping Mum.' No wonder council taxes are so high. There is a built in slush fund to pay professional liars, not to tell the truth, when they retire. You can imagine, that in revealing how WC and Sussex police lie, as an informant (a source), would be a very lucrative retirement top up. And for this reason, golden handshakes are substantial payoffs. Effectively, proceeds of crime, and a cap to prevent other conspirators from spilling the beans.

THE GUARDIAN - WHITEHOUSE DOES BLUNKETT'S BIDDING AND GOES - BUT WITH A BROADSIDE

Paul Whitehouse, the chief constable of Sussex, launched a withering attack on the Home Office yesterday after announcing his resignation over a flawed raid that left an unarmed and naked man dead.

Mr Whitehouse insisted he had acted properly before and after the operation that killed James Ashley, but said he would be stepping down on September 25.

His announcement came 12 hours after the home secretary, David Blunkett, revealed he had written to Sussex police authority urging it to consider sacking Mr Whitehouse to restore public confidence in the force. The unprecedented intervention forced Mr Whitehouse to go and led him to condemn the need to find "scapegoats" for the shooting on January 15 1998.

A progressive who supports the legalisation of cannabis, Mr Whitehouse warned that tragedies were inevitable if the Home Office continued to pursue tough anti-drugs policies.

"I hope very much Mr Blunkett realises that if he wants us to be firm in our fight against drugs, which he has talked about, that officers will have to make decisions occasionally which may have unfortunate consequences," he said.

"It is essential in these circumstances that these officers who make these decisions are supported, providing they have acted with integrity themselves."

He added: "Police officers are people. They make mistakes occasionally, things go wrong. It is absolutely imperative that we recognise that, and it doesn't mean that if something goes wrong there must be a scapegoat.

That is the way to disaster. It's not right that someone should be hung out to dry just because no one could determine who has misbehaved just because something has gone wrong."

Mr Whitehouse also complained that Mr Blunkett had not had the "courtesy" to inform him personally of his concerns.

Before the home secretary's move on Monday, Mr Whitehouse had ignored calls to resign over the death of Ashley in St Leonard's on Sea.

During the operation - carried out as part of an investigation into drug trafficking in the area - Ashley, 39, was shot dead at point-blank range in front of his 18-year-old girlfriend by a police marksman, PC Christopher Sherwood. Prosecutions against five officers involved in the raid, including Mr Sherwood, were launched but abandoned.

At a hearing at Wolverhampton crown court last month, Nigel Sweeney QC said it would be impossible to pursue cases against individual officers because there had been a "corporate failure" in the force.

An independent report by Hampshire police on the shooting and its aftermath accused Mr Whitehouse of "wilfully failing to tell the truth" about what he knew of the botched operation.

Despite the criticism, Mr Whitehouse has maintained he did nothing wrong. The force has not apologised to Ashley's relatives, who are demanding a public inquiry.

The Home Office said yesterday it respected Mr Whitehouse's decision to step down. Mr Blunkett has not ruled out a public inquiry and will meet Ashley's relatives next month.

His robust action comes soon after the sidelining of the drug tsar, Keith Hellawell. A spokesman for Tony Blair said the home secretary would not "duck making decisions he believes are necessary to make sure the public continue to have confidence in the police".

Graham Alexander, chairman of the Sussex Police Federation, said he hoped the resignation would help the force to move forward after a period of "ghastly publicity".

"We need to start the process of closure, and it is not going to happen overnight, it will be a gradual and quite sensitive business. But it needs to start somewhere."

THE CASE AGAINST

- On January 15 1998 James Ashley was shot dead in a raid on his flat in St Leonard's on Sea, near Hastings.

Within hours Paul Whitehouse defended the actions of his officers, declaring he was "satisfied that the operation was properly and professionally planned, that the use of firearms was justified and that my officers acted properly and with due regard to everybody's safety".

Whitehouse suggested Ashley was armed and wanted for attempted murder.

A subsequent investigation discovered that, by the time of Whitehouse's comments, he had already been told that Ashley was naked and unarmed when he was killed.

He had also been told that the officer who shot him, PC Chris Sherwood, might not have been suited to firearms duty.

- An inquiry by Kent police on behalf of the police complaints authority claimed the operation was catastrophically flawed in every phase.

Ashley was not armed and not wanted for attempted murder. It concluded the force was riven with incompetence and that there was evidence of "corporate failures" that made the actions of individual officers difficult to criticize.

- A subsequent inquiry into Whitehouse's conduct by Sir John Hoddinott, the chief constable of Hampshire, accused him of making statements that were "unsustainable in any rational sense...and plainly perverse."

There was evidence Whitehouse had "wilfully failed to tell the truth".

- Sussex police authority suspended Whitehouse for three weeks and then issued him with "written advice" - one of the lowest sanctions available. It urged the chief constable to take greater care with his public statements.

- Two of the officers involved in the raid, inspectors Kevin French, 47, and Christopher Siggs, 42, were promoted - with Whitehouse's blessing - and had their pay increases backdated to January 1998.

BBC NEWS 26 JUNE 2001 - QUITTING POLICE CHIEF REMAINS DEFIANT 

A chief constable who resigned following criticism over his handling of a bungled raid in which an unarmed man was shot dead says he has no regrets.

Paul Whitehouse, chief constable of Sussex Police, resigned a day after the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, ordered his local police authority to consider sacking him to restore public confidence in the force.

Course of events

Jan '98 - police shoot James Ashley
May '98 - four officers suspended
Feb '99 - deputy chief constable suspended
March '99 - chief constable suspended
March 2001 - chief constable reinstated
June 2001 - Home secretary suggests sacking chief constable

Mr Blunkett said on Tuesday that he respected Mr Whitehouse's decision to stand down and believed it was "in the best interests of the force and the people of Sussex".

He added: "As I made clear in my recent letter to the police authority, I expect them to continue to consider what more needs to be done to restore public confidence in Sussex Police."

The chairman of Sussex Police Federation, Graham Alexander, told BBC News: "Sussex Police, as an organisation, needs to start moving forward desperately having been bogged down in some ghastly publicity."

The final straw for Mr Blunkett is believed to have been Mr Whitehouse's decision last week to promote two of the officers who were prosecuted and acquitted in the aftermath of the raid. They were also given backdated pay rises.

Mr Blunkett said the force had to learn lessons from the operation which saw alleged drugs dealer James Ashley, 39, shot by police marksman Chris Sherwood at his flat in St Leonards in January 1998.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said on Tuesday: "David Blunkett is not going to duck making decisions he believes are necessary to make sure the public continue to have confidence in the police.


When concerns are raised as a result of police action, they have got to be addressed properly and as swiftly as possible in a way that can command public support

Prime Minister, Tony Blair: "Everyone recognises that policing is a tough job and that it requires difficult decisions to be made by officers quickly."

"When concerns are raised as a result of police action, they have got to be addressed properly and as swiftly as possible in a way that can command public support."

Ashley, originally from Liverpool, had a conviction for manslaughter and Sussex Police said at the time that he was wanted in connection with a stabbing at a pub in the town.

It transpired that he had in fact been to pull the assailant off the victim.

Heavily criticised

Mr Ashley was naked in bed with his girlfriend when officers burst in.

Mr Whitehouse was heavily criticised for the way he handled the aftermath of the raid.

The chief constable was suspended and reinstated following the shooting, while his deputy Mark Jordan, who gave the go-ahead for the raid, remains suspended.

What we have to recognise is that if we wish police officers to go and confront armed and dangerous men they will have to carry firearms

Paul Whitehouse

But in an interview with BBC News 24, Mr Whitehouse said: "Everyone has to leave and because I have so many things I want to do I am looking forward to those rather than looking back with regrets."

"I know Sussex Police has progressed under my leadership and is a better force than when I arrived and that is the only thing I could have achieved."

He said he alone took the decision to quit and had not been pressurised by the home secretary or the police authority.

He said: "Although people have condemned me, they have never demonstrated with evidence that I behaved improperly."

"I have always behaved honestly, with integrity throughout."

'Welcome news'

He also defended the use of armed police and said: "What we have to recognise is that if we wish police officers to go and confront armed and dangerous men they will have to carry firearms."

In a statement he said he would retire from the force on 25 September.

Mr Ashley's mother, Eileen, welcomed Mr Whitehouse's resignation.

She said: "This is very welcome news. This is something we've been waiting for a long time and it has really made our day. We have been writing to Sussex Police demanding an apology for three years."

Tony Ashley - Victim's brother: "Obviously nothing can bring James back and we still miss him terribly. But somebody has to pay for the dreadful mistakes on that day and Whitehouse was the boss."

James Ashley's brother Tony, 32, also welcomed news of the home secretary's intervention.

He said: "We have been writing to Sussex Police demanding an apology for three years now, and we still have not heard anything.

"It's about time action was taken."

The family is continuing to pursue a civil case against Sussex Police.

NOTE: ....