Police officer threatened driving school boss after son missed out on course
A police officer who launched a campaign of abuse at a driving school after his son missed out on an intensive course has been sacked.
Police Sergeant Gabriel Chandler, an officer at Kent Police since 2002, targeted the school with dozens of calls and emails over five months.
In online reviews of Intensives UK, he accused the business of being linked to child sexual abuse and suggested owner Mark Elliot had previously been ‘inappropriate with young female drivers’, an internal inquiry found.
The misconduct hearing, which took place between December 8 and 12 last year, concluded PS Chandler’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.
It investigated the officer’s actions after he booked an intensive driving course for his son in June 2021, paying £1,359 in a deposit and course money to Intensives UK.
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However, the course did not happen, as the school was never informed that PS Chandler’s son had passed his driving theory – a requirement of their terms and conditions.
The police officer demanded a full refund in response, but did not receive one.
Beginning in February 2022, PS Chandler embarked on a campaign of calls, emails and online reviews aimed at Intensives UK and Mr Elliot.
Staff at the school told the hearing the police officer would sometimes make ‘up to 50 calls a day’, with logs showing he rang the firm 44 times on one day in August.
Extracts from the emails included in the misconduct hearing report show him describing Mr Elliot as a ‘thief’ and a ‘criminal’ with ‘links to funding drugs, paedophilia and child sexual exploitation’.
In one message, he warns the school owner: ‘You’re [sic] homes and offices will be raided. You will all face heavy custodial sentences.
‘And in my experience fraudsters aren’t built for prison. Your families they’ll be ripped apart.’
Later that same day, he wrote in another email: ‘Even your legitimate accounts will be frozen. I’d hate for that to affect your families. But it happens.’
In March, PS Chandler was offered a partial refund of around £1,122 but did not accept it.
Even when he was eventually offered a full refund, the police officer turned it down and did not stop his abuse.
Another email says: ‘Forget the money. Your [sic] a criminal. I’m going to take you down and yes I’m going to enjoy doing it.’
Reviews left online by PS Chandler accused Intensives UK staff of using fake names and claimed Mr Elliot and his partner were Scottish rather than Welsh.
Another said: ‘You fraudsters are funding a paedophile ring exploiting child sex slaves. It’s a fact known to every agency seeking you out.
‘The vigilantes have seen it all the dark web for that matter. That’s where our money is being used. Keep hiding you cowards.’
Mr Elliot reported the behaviour to the police as a criminal matter in August 2022, and PS Chandler reacted by flagging ‘malicious reports’ from ‘criminals’ to the Professional Standards Department.
In January 2023, the police officer made a civil claim against Mr Elliot which was described by the misconduct panel as ‘purposefully misleading’.
According to the misconduct report, PS Chandler continued to target the business even after it rebranded.
The report described him as an ‘intelligent and successful police officer’ who should have realised he needed to follow the standards of professional behaviour whether on or off the clock.
It continues: ‘It was absolutely plain that the tone and content of the emails demonstrated that he failed to do this.’
The panel concluded the ‘only sanction’ that would maintain public confidence and preserve the police’s reputation was dismissal without notice.
Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Armory, head of professional standards at Kent Police, said: ‘Even when off duty, police officers are still held to the highest standards of professional conduct and, in this case, PC Chandler’s behaviour fell far below what is expected of our officers and staff.
‘The vast majority of Kent Police officers and staff uphold the expected standards of Kent Police, often going above and beyond to ensure crimes are solved, victims are protected, and offenders are brought to justice.’
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