Former chief constable had affairs with two junior officers, tribunal finds

A former chief constable who had affairs with two subordinate officers showed "persistent dishonesty and lack of integrity", a tribunal found.

Scott Chilton, 53, who retired from the top role at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary in April 2025, was found by a police misconduct to have committed four charges following the two affairs.

They found he had a sexual relationship with Officer A between 2008 and 2012 while ranked as a superintendent, repeatedly failed to disclose it and also had sex while on duty.

They also found he abused his position for a sexual purpose by engaging in the relationship with Officer B and again repeatedly failing to disclose it.

On Thursday, the hearing heard he would have been dismissed from the force if he had not retired.

Chairwoman Michelle Skeer, of His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, said Mr Chilton's behaviour amounted to gross misconduct on each of the charges.

She said: "Former chief constable (FCC) Chilton's behaviour showed persistent dishonesty and lack of integrity."

Mr Chilton acted in a "domineering" fashion towards his colleagues in a bid to "control the narrative" in relation to responding to press inquiries about the allegations, the chairwoman added.

Ms Skeer said: "The panel concluded that FCC Chilton's behaviour was intentional, deliberate and planned.

"He was in the highest position of trust as the most senior officer in the constabulary and ought to have known the foreseeable risk of harm by having a covert relationship.

"He repeatedly lied by act and omission about both his relationships with Officer A and Officer B and he knew that this was wrong.

She added: "His conduct was a serious, deliberate and sustained attempt to mislead the PCC and colleagues to subvert any negative impact on himself.

"All police officers are in a position of trust, however FCC Chilton was in the highest position of trust, he would have been privy to confidential and sensitive information on colleagues, security and national policing matters.

"There was evidence that he was discussing issues which he shouldn't have been discussing with Officer B during WhatsApp message exchanges."

Ms Skeer said that Mr Chilton tried to "bully" Officer B into "keeping quiet" by asking her to "delete and double delete" their messages and not to go to events that his wife would attend, which showed the "power imbalance" between them.

The chairwoman also said Mr Chilton "engaged in sexual activity" with Officer A while on duty and in silver command, which meant he would have been the officer in charge if a major incident occurred.

The former chief constable, who did not attend the tribunal and was not legally represented, said in a statement that he admitted the relationship with Officer B but "strongly disputed" the relationship with Officer A.

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Mr Chilton also admitted misconduct in relation to Officer B, but not gross misconduct.

He said in a statement to the tribunal: "I fully accept that my actions in not disclosing that relationship fell short of the standards that police officers are judged by.

"These were personal matters, rather than issues affecting policing or public safety, and at no point did this relationship influence policing decisions, operational matters, or the discharge of professional responsibilities.

"I strongly dispute some of the issues raised by this investigation, but resolution was required. However, I regret the embarrassment and distraction this has caused."

(c) Sky News 2026: Former chief constable had affairs with two junior officers, tribunal finds