A police officer has been fired for putting the wrong fuel in his patrol car after claims that he tried to cover up his mistake but inadvertently ended up writing the car off.
Former Derbyshire Police constable Michael Gatehouse, who had worked for the force for 16 years, accidentally put petrol fuel into a diesel Vauxhall Astra while on duty.
He told the Daily Telegraph that he had been dismissed after Derbyshire Police claimed he had deliberately driven round in the car in an attempt to burn the fuel off, causing further damage.
Gatehouse was also accused of misleading a recovery garage and claiming that the vehicle wouldn’t start due to immobiliser issues instead of misfuelling.
He claimed: “They are saying I told them it was an immobiliser and I misdirected the garage, but I didn't because I didn't know.”
According to Gatehouse, he said he “just didn’t think” about filling up and had responded to several incidents before the car broke down due to the wrong fuel being in the tank.
However, a disciplinary hearing found that he had breached standard of professional behaviour and declared him guilty of gross misconduct.
Mr Gatehouse, who is considering appealing the decision, said: “They have dismissed me on the balance of probability, they haven't proven guilt. It is horrendous. I could end up losing my house... I put all my years into the job.”
A Derbyshire Police spokesman said: “The overwhelming majority of our officers meet those standards throughout their careers, but there are infrequent occasions when individuals may not. We take these allegations extremely seriously to the point where, as in this case, an officer is dismissed.”
