New Forest police officer sacked over fake abuse claims

PC Nadia Thurley, 29, made 14 allegations against 'fictional' ex Dan Jones which led to police wasting 'extensive' resources investigating the supposed crimes.

The officer was caught out when covert CCTV cameras installed at her home by police without her knowledge to catch the alleged abuser revealed no one had been there on days where she had claimed to have been assaulted.

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On Wednesday, her chief constable sacked PC Thurley, stating he is 'saddened' that an officer with first hand knowledge of victims of such 'horrific crimes' would 'choose to lie about a violent assault'.

A disciplinary hearing was told PC Thurley joined Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary towards the end of 2018 as a Police Staff Investigator before becoming a Constable on 27th April 2020.

Some 16 months into her service, the 29 year old was arrested and suspended from service after she made several domestic abuse claims which 'did not take place'.

Presenting the case, Detective Inspector Simon Clifford said that in total PC Thurley made 14 complaints she had been attacked by 'Dan Jones'.

These started in December 2020, just eight months after she joined as a constable, when PC Thurley appeared at work with 'visible injuries' and told colleagues she was assaulted by an ex-partner.

The allegations continued and DI Clifford told of one example, in March 2021, when PC Thurley said she was approached by Dan Jones in the New Forest telling police he was 'armed with a knife'.

DI Clifford said: "PC Thurley details to attending officers that she panics and runs, cross country, towards her car.

"Attending officers note that PC Thurley does not have any mud or debris on her clothing despite extremely boggy and muddy conditions."

In the hopes of catching Dan Jones, an operations team installed covert surveillance cameras in PC Thurley's home in Marchwood, near Southampton.

DI Clifford said: "These were installed to gather evidence of the identity of Dan Jones, who remains unidentified by PC Thurley other than by name."

Unaware of the CCTV, in July 2021 PC Thurley reported a further two incidents at her home address claiming 'Dan Jones' had attended her home.

The detective inspector said: "Significantly, given the evidence that PC Thurley provides at the scene of the route taken by Jones into her
address, it can be proven from the CCTV cameras that nobody attends her address."

Less than a month later, PC Thurley was arrested and charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice for the two incidents in July.

Last month, following a court case at Bristol Crown Court, a jury found her guilty of the offences - which she denied.

DI Clifford told the hearing 'fabricating the existence of a boyfriend is dishonest and lacks integrity and disciplinary action is warranted'.

PC Thurley did not attend the hearing, held at Hampshire Constabulary Operational HQ in Winchester.

Instead, the female officer sent an email which stated: "The only representation I wish to make is to say that all I have ever done is tell the truth, and follow directions given by my line managers."

It is understood PC Thurley, now of Woking, Surrey, has been 'unwell' and suffered PTSD from an incident in 2020, whereby she witnessed a fellow officer get stabbed.

However, DI Clifford said: "It is the [appropriate authorities] case, as it was in the case of the Prosecutor at trial, that this is not a case about mental health but one of malingering, or lying."

Throughout all the investigations, PC Thurley did not provide any details to investigating officers about the identity of 'Dan Jones'.

DI Clifford added: "PC Thurley has provided no verifiable evidence of Dan Jones.

"Depending on the source of information, she was either seeing him for 12 months or 18 months, she can only describe him as a white male with dark hair and dark eyes, with a tattoo on his ankle - but then to others she has said no tattoo.

"He is anywhere between 5’ 8” and 6’ and either a slim, average or muscular build."

He continued: "PC Thurley’s criminal conviction represents some of the most serious that a police officer could face as one that goes to the heart of an officer’s honesty and integrity.

"The public confidence in both PC Thurley and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary will be damaged when they know a police officer has lied so extensively."

Scott Chilton, Chief Constable for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, dismissed PC Thurley with immediate effect, without notice.

He said a 'considerable amount of resources' were pulled to investigate the allegations and that 'PC Thurley has done little, if anything at all, to assist in this investigation'.

Chief Constable Chilton said: "I am saddened that a serving police officer, knowing first hand the impact that such horrific crimes have on victims, chose to lie about a violent assault.

"Nadia Thurley’s actions diverted response officers, specially trained investigators and surveillance officers away from genuine victims as they spent months trying to find a fictitious offender who she claimed was responsible for very serious attacks upon her.

"Nadia Thurley reported crimes to colleagues who did everything they could to investigate her reports, then lied and obstructed their investigations.

"Whatever the reason for these actions to deceive the police and criminal justice system, there is no doubt that it impacts the women and men who are beaten, stabbed and abused by their partners and ex-partners and look to the police to bring their perpetrators to justice.

"Perverting the course of justice is a very serious offence, and even more damaging when it is done by someone who is expected to uphold the law and keep people safe from harm."