Policeman lied to inquiry into Climbie killing, says colleague

The Victoria Climbie inquiry descended into further acrimony yesterday when a senior police officer accused a former colleague of lying.

The Victoria Climbie inquiry descended into further acrimony yesterday when a senior police officer accused a former colleague of lying.

The inquiry into the child abuse case has been marked by repeated accusations of blunders between and within authorities that failed to rescue the eight-year-old from her abusive great aunt, Marie Therese Kouao and her partner, Carl Manning.

Yesterday, Chief Superintendent Susan Akers accused Detective Chief Inspector Philip Wheeler of lying because he had given evidence stating he had a "purely administrative role" over the "totally unacceptable" child protection services.

Ch Supt Akers told the inquiry that he had operational line management responsibility for the teams, which he had condemned in a report as "bereft" of proper organisation.

Det Ch Insp Wheeler had led an internal police investigation within weeks of Victoria's death nearly two years ago. The inquiry found there was virtually no system for managing or allocating cases, no proper supervision, and a team whose members turned up for work at whatever hour suited them.

Yesterday, Ch Supt Akers, his former boss, contradicted his claim that a senior officer had told him his job with the teams was strictly administrative. Neil

Garnham QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked Ch Supt Akers: "Hearing that evidence now, you must be deeply concerned because it means the man who was your deputy and who had operational line management responsibilities for these teams was taking the view his job was purely administrative."

The lawyer added: "It would mean ... Mr Wheeler is simply lying when he says that is what he was told." Ch Supt Akers said: "Yes, I am afraid it does."

* Lauretta Okocha, 32, of South Lambeth, London, is due to appear in court on Tuesday charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage and possession of cannabis after black paint was thrown over a witness at the inquiry on Thursday.