Police bosses failed to tell 'the whole truth', whistleblower's lawyer alleges in tribunal

Senior police officers failed to tell 'the whole truth' over allegations made by a former senior detective turned whistleblower, it has been claimed in an employment tribunal.

Retired officer Pete Jackson, 59, the former head of GMP's major incident team, alleges that there was a 'rotten culture of cronyism' while he was still working at the force.

He alleges he was sidelined and passed over for promotion after he blew the whistle about the destruction of human remains of Harold Shipman's victims carried out without the families' knowledge; aspects of the investigation into a suspected paedophile, and police tactics in the hunt for killer Dale Cregan.

After he retired in February 2017 after 31 years in the police, he launched an employment tribunal case against his former employer.

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Now the tribunal, which started more than two years ago, has heard allegations about the honesty of senior officers who gave evidence for GMP. GMP and the officers he has accused deny the claims made by Mr Jackson and his lawyer.

Declan O'Dempsey, making final submissions for Mr Jackson, alleged in the employment tribunal that some police bosses who had given evidence had not told 'the whole truth', citing former deputy chief constable Ian Pilling, the current head of the force review unit Martin Bottomley and former assistant chief constable Debbie Ford.

Mr O'Dempsey told the panel: "You have never got, I suggest, the whole truth from the respondent's witnesses. That's obviously a sweeping statement. You will analyse each one as a tribunal should do.

"You will look at whether Mr Pilling, Mr Bottomley or Miss Ford, whether they gave you the whole truth in their