Former Hampshire chief constable Scott Chilton was accused of “grossly inappropriate” behaviour in his absence at the start of his misconduct hearing in Eastleigh yesterday.

Mr Chilton failed to turn up for the hearing. His leading counsel, James Berry KC, said: “Mr Chilton is not here. He has co-operated from the outset. Mr Chilton has admitted some allegations and strongly denies others.

“He is suffering from medical issues as a result of these proceedings. He cannot attend and that is unlikely to change, so we are not instructed to call for an adjournment or continue this case.”

Mr Chilton retired in April 2025 after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched the misconduct investigation into allegations concerning two undisclosed sexual relationships with female officers, one before and one after he became chief constable.

The allegations include failing to disclose a previous relationship with an officer during his application for the chief constable role, having sex with that officer while on duty, and repeatedly denying that relationship dishonestly to senior police figures.

He is also alleged to have abused his position for a sexual purpose by having an undisclosed relationship with an officer while chief constable.

A disciplinary panel will determine whether the allegations are proven and amount to gross misconduct.

It was left to John Beggs KC, leading counsel for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), to outline the case to the independent panel chaired by HM Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer.

Mr Beggs said: “Mr Chilton has not asked for an adjournment and has in effect disinstructed his lawyers. He could have said my counsel will remain and challenge the evidence.

“As Mr Chilton has chosen not to challenge the evidence through witnesses or a submission, it is up to the panel whether we call witnesses.

“It is acceptable to stand the witnesses down and proceed on the papers. To the civil standard of proof you can comfortably conclude that the allegations are made out.”

Mr Chilton denies the older alleged relationship, with an officer known as Officer A, but has since admitted the newer one, with an officer called Officer B.

He was appointed chief constable of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary in February 2023.

The first relationship is alleged to have lasted for a few months and taken place sometime between 2008 and 2012, while the second is said to have started in April or May 2023 and continued until about October 2024.

Regarding Officer B, Mr Beggs said: “Scott Chilton must have known it was grossly inappropriate to start a relationship with a staff team officer literally weeks after being appointed chief constable.”

In her statement, Officer A said Mr Chilton, who was married with a son, was a higher-ranked officer at the time of their affair, which ended after she was posted to a different area. She said the affair happened and was consensual, with them having sex several times. She was single at the time.

Mr Chilton “vehemently denies” this relationship.

Reading the OPCC’s evidence, Mr Beggs detailed circumstantial evidence suggesting the relationship had happened from some current and former police officers and staff, and OPCC staff.

He added that Mr Chilton had not mentioned any relationship with Officer A during a two-hour “chemistry conversation” with police and crime commissioner Donna Jones during the chief constable recruitment process.

In November 2024 Mr Chilton gave Donna Jones an account of a non-sexual relationship with Officer A more than 10 years earlier.

Mr Chilton twice denied Officer A’s allegations on February 12, 2025, firstly in a meeting with Donna Jones and OPCC chief executive Kate Gunson at Costa Coffee in Winnall near Winchester, and later in a meeting at police headquarters in Eastleigh with Donna Jones, Kate Gunson, Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, force solicitor Roger Trencher and ACO Ben Pratt.

Recalling the latter meeting in his statement, Mr Trencher said: “I remember that Scott Chilton was very agitated, moving in an agitated way, and appeared vexed.

“He was using some choice language, saying that he was aware of the allegations against him, and that they were absolute nonsense and that there had not been any inappropriate conduct.”

Mr Chilton also failed to disclose his relationship with Officer B at this meeting, following which Donna Jones decided not to refer the Officer A matter to the IOPC.

Five days later Officer A confirmed her relationship with Mr Chilton in a meeting with the force’s head of occupational health, wellbeing and inclusion Karen Scipio.

On March 3, 2025, Donna Jones, accompanied by Kate Gunson, told Mr Chilton that the Officer A matter had now been referred to the IOPC. Mr Chilton said the allegation was “untrue and malicious”.

By March 20, 2025, the Daily Echo newspaper was inquiring about the IOPC investigation into the Officer A matter. Mr Chilton asked Donna Jones to give him her “full support” in any press statement, which she did. He continued to deny the relationship right up to his retirement on April 7, 2025.

Mr Chilton denied his relationship with Officer B until March 26, 2025. During a Facetime call five days earlier he told Officer B to “delete and double delete” all her messages and communications with him.

On March 25, 2025, Officer B revealed her relationship with Mr Chilton in a video call to Ch Insp Iain Clancy. She said they regularly had sex at her house and he said he was divorced - she subsequently discovered he was still married. These allegations were referred to the IOPC on March 31, 2025.

The IOPC decided to conduct an independent investigation on April 7, 2025, at which point Mr Chilton resigned as chief constable.

In a statement for the IOPC on August 19, 2025, Mr Chilton said: “Having an affair with Officer B, I made poor decisions and exercised very bad judgement. This is something I am not proud of and it has had a huge impact on my personal life.

“The relationship between us was a private matter between two consenting adults and our respective ranks was never an issue for either of us.”

With the presentation of evidence completed, HMI Skeer adjourned the hearing until 10am on October 7.