The curious bit is why it took from October until June to establish some basic facts.

In reply to Steven :

Is there not a phrase about the wheels of justice turning slowly?

I'd have someone knocking on my door every day if it took me 8 months to conduct a workplace investigation while the employee was suspended on full pay.

I know lying has become a less popular term of late. It seems people believe they want to make it more palatable by calling it something else. It's still a lie.

I imagine in this instance, it was the lie that was the problem rather than the original rank, a hard lesson to learn when you are very senior and far along in your career. The irony of it being in a police force isn't lost on me either.

The astonishing thing is that he thought he could get away with it. As he did have some service it would have been drummed in that one only wears other people's medals on the right hand side (and it's not just anyone's, there are rules about this) and then never in uniform or mounted with one's own.

Then there's the fact that the community of South Atlantic Medal recipients is tiny. An unearned General Service Medal (Northern Ireland) might not be spotted bu this would.

However the basic schoolboy howler was that he was only a Sea Cadet of Sea Cadet age at the time of the Falklands Unpleasantness. That's a basic that someone should have spotted.

I'm actually looking into the record of someone who was employed at my current workplace and jumped ship before he was pushed overboard. I'm ex-military and all sorts of things don't add up about his application or claims made about his service, and something that should be readily checkable online (again, being a member of a very small group of people) doesn't show his name. Wondering if it would be ethical to have a word with the HR Director of the receiving institution if my suspicions are founded.

In reply to Ryan:

Ryan - but perhaps you would be spending your company's money.

In this case they don't care. They're spending other people's money - ours!!!

Luckily I'm no longer an employee - I think I'll leave my bit in my cv about me being senior HR advisor to the Ex King Of Scotland. ( Idi Amin and the Ugandan government) . No one will find out Keith!!

More seriously these lies do catch people out. Like Matthew I'm an ex RN servicemen. There numerous 'wanna be's claiming service records they never did. The Falklands service was one and another is claiming to be ex SAS. It isn't easy for someone with no military experience to spot these people but soon becomes apparent if you spot a small error or exaggerated claim. I once was on a skiing course and the blokes told me he was in the SAS. I was quite surprised that he'd be on a civilian run course on his own- but never mind. We later shared the same ski tow. He fell off as he couldn't keep his skis in line taking me with him.. We were a fair way from the top of the run and he/we elected to walk to the top. He was really, really struggling - and it wasn't a steep slope. In the bar that evening he told me his rank. He said he was a private. Really? I think those in the SAS would described themselves as "Troopers".

However in this case the chief constable told a harmless (?) porker, got away with it, and no doubt when he got older and I assume wiser, it would be nearly impossible to make it vanish from his CV.

Your past will often catch you out.