SUSSEX Chief Constable Paul Whitehouse was formally suspended from duty today in the wake of two reports on a man's gun death during a drugs raid.

The Sussex Police Authority was split down the middle on its decision to call for his suspension, it emerged today.

Last night's vote was 9-8 and the final decision came only in the last minute of a tense eight-hour meeting.

Today, the Police Complaints Authority accepted the Sussex authority's recommendation and formally suspended the police chief.

The move, however, may be delayed. The Chief Constable has to be served with suspension papers and he is currently on holiday and does not return for another ten days.

Mr Whitehouse and the force's Deputy Chief Constable Mark Jordan, suspended last month, are now set to face disciplinary proceedings.

Another closed-door meeting of the police authority is set for March 31.

The suspension follows the shooting death of James Ashley as he stood naked by his bed after police burst into his flat in St Leonards on January 15 last year.

The Chief Constable backed his officers, saying they acted properly, but inquiries showed the raid was based on wrong information.

Critics say the police chief had misled the public and some members of the police authority who voted to suspend him felt that, since he holds ethics so highly, he should be judged by the same standards.

Others felt it was the Chief Constable who had been misled and that his motives were right in showing support for officers in the front line.

Some dissenters were so upset they considered resigning. One told the Argus: "There are dark forces in certain quarters out to get the chief. This is a sad day."

One member was in tears, saying: "I did not sleep a wink - it was the worst night of my life."

Eastbourne councillor Michael Tunwell, who at 70 is about to retire, said: "I won't say which way I voted but I was very sorry the authority took the decision it did."

Chairman Ken Bodfish and former chairman Dr James Walsh are thought to be two who voted against suspension but both declined to comment.

The suspension could lead to the Chief Constable being disciplined or to his resignation, but because of the tight vote, it might be challenged first by way of a judicial review.

Mr Whitehouse left in the early hours today for a family holiday in Europe in the knowledge there was still strong support for him within the authority and the community.

The suspension of two senior officers in one force is believed to be unprecedented and there could be even further disciplinary action to come.

While Assistant Chief Constable Maria Wallis has been eliminated from the inquiry, the authority could still take measures against fellow Assistant Chief Constable Nigel Yeo.

The decision on his fate has been adjourned.

SPA chairman Ken Bodfish, deputy chairman Michael Tunwell and Graham Gordon, the independent clerk to the SPA, announced the recommendations in a statement last night.

The authority had considered separate reports from the Chief Constable of Hampshire, Sir John Hoddinott, and Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Barbara Wilding.

In a brief statement, Mr Whitehouse said he was saddened by the SPA's decision to suspend him.

He added: "I have repeatedly said how much I regret that James Ashley died. In view of the circumstances, I do not believe it would be appropriate to say anything more."

Ashley, 39, was a target for police hunting a gang of drug dealers.

He was considered dangerous and intelligence reports suggested he may be armed.

In fact, he was unarmed and naked in bed with his girlfriend, Caroline Courtland Smith, when police burst into their flat on January 15 last year.

As he moved towards police he was met with a blast at close range from a marksman armed with a semi-automatic Hechler and Koch MP5 rifle.

He fell dead on the floor while his girlfriend screamed in terror.

The apparent blunder, according to two subsequent inquiry reports, can be blamed on poor or inadequate intelligence.

Police reports had established that Ashley, a suspected drugs dealer from Liverpool, and his associates were holed up in flats in St Leonards.

They suggested the gang were muscling in on the local drugs action and that they may be in possession of a kilogramme of cocaine.

One was Ashley and another was Thomas McCrudden and both were considered dangerous. Ashley had killed a man in a pub brawl and had been convicted of manslaughter. McCrudden had stabbed a man in the groin.

The key intelligence report suggested, wrongly as it turned out, that both would almost certainly be armed.

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