Police Officer Charged over Plebgate but no Evidence of Plot

One police officer has been charged over the Andrew Mitchell "plebgate" affair but there is no evidence to suggest that the former chief whip was the victim of a "conspiracy of misinformation", prosecutors have found.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there was no evidence that the police officer who accused Mitchell of calling him a "pleb" lied in his account of the events.

The CPS added that CCTV footage broadcast by Channel 4 News which first placed doubt on the police's version of events was "edited and did not show the full picture".

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said that five officers would face gross misconduct proceedings.

Mitchell resigned from his role as chief whip despite frequently denying accusations that he had called a police officer guarding the gates of 10 Downing Street a "f*****g pleb".

Mitchell admitted swearing during the incident in September 2012 but denied swearing at the officers when they asked him to use the pedestrian gate rather than allowing him to take his bicycle through the main gates.

Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions, said: "We have considered all of the evidence in this case, including previously unseen, unedited CCTV footage from Downing Street, not referred to by the media.

"Taking it all into account, including the accounts of the officer at the gate of Downing Street and that of Andrew Mitchell MP before, during and after the incident, we have found that there is insufficient evidence to show that the officer at the gate lied in his account.

"The CPS has also found that there is insufficient evidence to show that Mr Mitchell was the victim of a conspiracy of misinformation."

The officer who has been charged, PC Keith Wallis, has been accused of misconduct in a public office over allegations that he falsely claimed to have witnessed the incident in an email to his John Randall, his MP, and deputy chief whip.

Wallis is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 December to face the charges.

Doubts over the official police log of the incident arose after CCTV footage obtained by Channel 4 News contradicted the Met version of events.

The footage, first broadcast in December 2012, suggested that the row was shorter of time than the officer had suggested and that the "several members of public" said to have been "shocked at the incident" were not present.

Previously unseen footage seen by the CPS shows "there was sufficient time for the words to have been said either as described by the gate officer or as described by Mr Mitchell and this has been confirmed by an expert".

The CPs added that the footage showed that there was a small number of people by the gate at the relevant time. More came into view later.

"This is consistent with the officer's account that several members of the public were present," added Saunders.

The Police Federation said it welcomed the CPS decision.

A spokesperson said: "We have always been concerned by the selected information that has been put into the public domain and it is noteworthy that the CPS came to its conclusions after reviewing all the evidence, including unedited CCTV footage from Downing Street."