A NATIONAL newspaper columnist has come under fire for comments he made following a court conviction imposed on a former chairman of Kent County Council.

The Kent Police Federation has described as "disgraceful" an article written in the Daily Telegraph by Simon Heffer.

The saga began on Christmas Eve in 2006 when one-time KCC chairman Frank Gibson was arrrested on suspicion of drink-driving by Kent police officers, PC Steve Cole and PC Thomas McGregor.

Mr Gibson, aged 81 at the time, allegedly twisted PC Cole's thumb and "shoved" PC McGregor in the chest. He passed a breathalyser test but was arrested.

In January this year Mr Gibson, from Windmill Street, Gravesend, was found guilty by Medway magistrates of assaulting the two officers. He was fined £910 and given a six-month conditional discharge.

The prosecution had claimed Mr Gibson had refused to get out of his car and was "persistently confrontational and argumentative".

In his newspaper article, following the conviction, Mr Heffer said one of the officers had opened Mr Gibson's door, removed his car keys and "hauled him out".

The article continued: "I know there will be many decent officers as outraged, shocked and appalled as I am by PC Cole's and PC McGregor's treatment of Mr Gibson. Is this how they train them in Kent?

'Heavy-handedness'

"Do they bother to tell them that elderly people are often slow, easily confused, easily frightened, above all vulnerable?

"I don't care what wonderful careers PCs Cole and McGregor might have had. By this one act of heavy-handedness, they have raised disturbing questions about how officers are trained to exercise discretion.

"This case has made it that little bit easier for the respectable classes to withdraw their support from the police in general."

But Ian Pointon, chairman of Kent Police Federation, which represents constables, sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors in the county, has criticised the level of misrepresentation in the article.

He said: "Both PCs McGregor and Cole have been commended for their bravery in the past. Their career records show they are a credit to Kent Police and the communities they serve. To condemn them and every other police officer in the way that Simon Heffer has done is a disgrace.

"Mr Gibson is an octogenarian with an interesting life story, but I fear he was the author of his own downfall."

Mr Pointon also stressed that there was nothing wrong with the training of Kent Police officers.

Found guilty

He stressed: "I am amazed that many have assumed that Simon Heffer's words represent the complete and absolute truth on this matter. They, along with Mr Heffer, seem to believe that Mr Gibson's age and life story make him exempt from either police action or prosecution.

"They have ignored the fact that Mr Gibson was found guilty of assaulting two police officers and, despite being a man of previous exceptional good character, was given a hefty fine of £910 and a six-month conditional discharge.

"To quote the article, the bench said Mr Gibson had allowed his temper to get the better of him. Let me be absolutely clear, nobody has the right to assault police officers.

"I also find it somewhat ironic that Simon Heffer, while unfairly accusing the officers of being heavy-handed, longs for the days when officers patrolled cuffing louts round the ear.

One sided argument

"I assume therefore he endorses heavy-handedness but only when the recipient is below a certain age. There is a lot more to this than this one sided article."

Mr Heffer replied: "As for what I wrote being one sided, I thought the facts, a frail old man 'assaulting' two burly young officers - spoke for themselves. I am not, as a newspaper columnist, supposed to see both sides of an argument. And in this case I'm far from sure there is one."

Mr Gibson has held several senior positions in his local community, including Gravesham mayor, governor of Gravesend Grammar School, and leader of the Conservative group on Gravesham council.