A high-ranking police officer and two staff members at Northamptonshire Police are under criminal investigation for allegedly perverting the course of justice in connection with a woman's legal action to obtain body-worn video footage of her arrest. Nadine Buzzard-Quashie, who had been reported missing, was arrested in 2021, and the force repeatedly refused to release the video, leading to legal action. The chief constable was found guilty of contempt of court and fined nearly £300,000. The case has raised concerns about the police's disproportionate response, including the use of a helicopter and spike strip.
The video, which has been published exclusively by the BBC, shows Nadine Buzzard-Quashie, who had been reported missing, being wrestled prone on to the ground by two officers A high-ranking police officer is being investigated for allegedly perverting the course of justice in connection with legal action brought by a woman who sought video footage of her arrest.
The officer and two other police staff members at Northamptonshire Police are facing a criminal investigation in relation to their "engagement with the courts and subsequent statements provided as evidence" during legal action brought by Nadine Buzzard-Quashie. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said the three were also under investigation for potential gross misconduct - though this did "not necessarily mean disciplinary or conduct proceedings would follow".
Buzzard-Quashie is pursuing a seven-figure damages claim against the force for assault and wrongful arrest As entitled under the Data Protection Act, Buzzard-Quashie, from London, set out to obtain the body-worn video of her arrest in Northampton in September 2021. But Northamptonshire Police repeatedly refused to hand it over, prompting her to take legal action against the county's chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet, for contempt of court.
He was found guilty at the Court of Appeal in November – the first time a chief constable has received such a sanction – and ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling nearly £300,000. Police responded after being told there was a concern for her welfare. Police charged her with failing to stop but the case was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Criminologists and former police inspectors have told the BBC the police response, which involved a helicopter and a spike strip to stop her car, appeared to be disproportionate. Northamptonshire Police failed to release the body-worn video to her, despite being ordered to do so by the Information Commissioner and a district judge. Later in court, police staff members and a senior police officer provided sworn statements, claiming the footage she had requested did not exist.
But audit logs obtained by Buzzard-Quashie's lawyers showed the claims to be false - not only was there more footage, but it had been viewed or accessed on dozens of occasions. A spokesperson for the IOPC said it received a voluntary conduct referral by Northamptonshire Police on 19 November 2025. Buzzard-Quashie is pursuing a seven-figure damages claim against the force for assault and wrongful arrest.
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Police Misconduct Body-Worn Video Contempt Of Court Legal Action Disproportionate Policing
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