The customs police chief was found guilty of contempt of court with judges debating whether he would be sentenced to prison or a fine.
An appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the police in Northamptonshire were in contempt and had “deliberately failed to prosecute a woman who complained that she had been targeted by three officers.
Nadine Buzzard-Quashie was arrested by police in Northamptonshire in September 2021, sparking a four-year saga.
He was taken into custody but prosecutors soon dropped the case.
The ruling said: “His account of his arrest … was that he was assaulted by the officers who arrested him, threw him to the ground and smashed his face with flowing nettles.”
He wants video footage of the arrest, including body-worn police cameras, not to be handed over to the force.
He complained to the Office of the Commissioner of the Commissioner who made an order that all the video must be handed over, which was done by force to be judged, which the court force also made to obey.
Force told the courts it had not been given the video to hand over, then reiterated the position at a hearing in October. The Court of Appeal said: “This means that all the statements made by the court on behalf of the Police Force in the middle of October 2025 are false.”
On Tuesday, the appeals court issued a blistering and unanimous ruling.
Lord Lady Justice Asplin, Lord Justice Counson, and Lord Justice Fraser “There were statements of appeal for the main period which proved that this judgment was the better judgment.”
Ivan Balhatchet the main Chiefsticshire’s Chiefs Constable since October 2023 and could face up to two years in prison or a fine. The previous Chief Constable was Nick Adderley, who now faces entirely separate criminal charges.
Buzzard-Quashie represented himself at first, fighting a hand-me-down against the force and Traxpayer’s legal department.
The three senior Judges said: “What happened in this case in terms of continuity, production, refusal to make such a reason for formation.”
Buzzard-Quashie asked a lower court to find the chief constable in contempt, but it refused. On Tuesday he won the appeal, with three judges saying that the Act allows the chief constable to be punished with up to two years in prison or a fine.
Following his victory, Buzztie-Quashie said: “Northamptonshire police have acted in an arrogant and high-handed way with requests for the Commissioner’s documents and a Commissioner’s court order.
“It is surprising that after four years I am still struggling to get a frank, open and honest answer to my wrong judgment, but for all the little people who were silenced or not for my little people who were silenced or obstructed by the power of the institution.
“I hope this judgment, and any punishment that may follow for the chief constable, will serve as an important demonstration that there is no authority above the law.”
Her lawyer for the appeal, Marc Livingston, from Janes Solicitors, said: “It is a matter of deep regret that throughout the history of this matter, Northamptonshire police did not appear to have appreciated the position they were in and the duties they owed to the court and my client. It is absolutely astonishing that the scale of their non-compliance only became clear in the two weeks before the appeal hearing, over four years after the incident.”
In a statement Northamptonshire Police said: “An apology for the issues has been given in the form of a Chief Constable’s Statement on the Provision of Accurate Footage.
“The matter referred to by the independent office for police conduct (IOPC).”
The sentencing hearing will be held on 20 November.