A POLICE officer in York made multiple failures in numerous cases, which contributed to the acquittal of a rape suspect and led to severe criticism of his force, a disciplinary hearing has been told.

North Yorkshire Police detective constable Nick Lane's investigative errors included failing to log the location where a ripped shirt, which an alleged rape victim claimed she had worn during an assault in York, was found and failure to carry out obvious lines of inquiry.

The gross misconduct hearing, which opened yesterday, was told the officer failed to release numerous key documents in the case, heard at Teesside Crown Court, prompting an appeal court judge to later condemn the force over the most "total and abject failure to deal with disclosure" he had seen in 50 years.

The hearing at the force’s headquarters at Newby Wiske, near Northallerton, got underway after the disciplinary panel had rejected an application to dismiss the allegations. The application was made on the basis the investigation into DC Lane while working in its protecting vulnerable persons unit was unfair and unbalanced.

George Thomas, for the force, said while DC Lane had been a police officer for 15 years, he had not become a detective until 2013. Months after his appointment as detective, he made his first serious errors following a report of rape, such as not looking for possible key pieces of evidence.

He said: "This is the sort of material that falls within what police call the golden hour."

Mr Thomas listed a litany of alleged failures by DC Lane, including failing to secure mobile phone data and not making contemporaneous notes, "demonstrating a serious lack of attention".

York Press:

He detailed numerous cases, including ones of historic sexual abuse, where DC Lane had failed to pursue investigations with sufficient speed.

Mr Thomas said: "It demonstrates a fundamental problem rather than any oversight... or he was unwilling to engage with mundane, routine parts of the investigation. He failed his victims very badly in this respect."

He emphasised it was not alleged DC Lane had been rude to victims or had been dishonest and said it was up to the panel to decide if the working conditions for officers in the unit had led to the errors.

DC Lane denies gross misconduct, in that he failed in his duties and responsibilities and that his conduct had been “discreditable”.

The hearing, which is scheduled for nine days, continues.