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Andy Hayman moans about select committee treatment

"There was cat-calling, there was loud laughter from the wings of Chris Bryant. It was an appalling

By Duncan Robinson Published 13 July 2011 12:24

Poor old Andy Hayman. He might give the impression of being a hard-as-nails, Sweeney-style copper, but actually he's a sensitive soul, easily hurt by the cat calls of the notorious bully Chris Bryant (a former priest). Here's what he told LBC Radio this morning (via Andrew Sparrow at the Guardian).

I've been through the mill several times in court, in journalistic interviews. I've never been treated like yesterday. There was cat-calling, there was loud laughter from the wings of Chris Bryant. It was an appalling display from them. The irony really is that they don't like being treated in this way disproportionately and yet they're prepared to put us through that.

I think all four of us were up for tough questioning, but not on that sort of basis. And to be accused, as I was, of being a dodgy geezer, which is probably on the basis on my accent, I think that's a really poor show ...

Despite trying to actually be helpful to them, all they want to do is score points and most of that is political and with this sort of lynch mob mentality. Bring on the formal inquiry with a respectable judge, when we can actually get some sense out of this. But what we've actually got here is a very, very senior, I guess you could call it a court. It's non-negotiable to be able to go there and when you go along there, you're treated like a bit of dirt.

I'm not asking for special treatment, I just ask for a little bit of respect and not to be [treated] basically as a product because of the way in which you speak.

Bless!

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Tags: Metropolitan Police Andy Hayman

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View the discussion thread.

15 comments

Wed, 2011-07-13 15:27 — Lou (not verified)

The question that riled him was the did you take payments question and then he did the drama queen routine. It's a fair enough question given what we know and one any decent copper would expect to ask and be asked in an inquiry where payments were alleged to have been recieved.

Wed, 2011-07-13 16:55 — A meadows (not verified)

gregoryhouse ,I agree

Wed, 2011-07-13 18:28 — Vorian (not verified)

@GreogoryHouse

Nobody "impugne(d) his personal integrity". He was asked a question. Considering the admissions about "hospitality", it was a reasonable question.

And he protested too much.

Wed, 2011-07-13 19:06 — Steve (not verified)

I also thought his response to the question of accepting money was over-acted and fake. It actually made me wonder if he was guilty of it. As for the 'disrespect' shown him, well maybe a bit. But anyone that doesn't see a conflict in dining with those you are investigating deserves everything he gets in my opinion.

Fri, 2011-07-15 21:10 — John P Reid (not verified)

he's A ex copper, not part of Her Majesty's constabulary, he doesn't have to justify himself to his govenment, as a civilian ,his goverment has to justify itself to him.

Wed, 2011-07-13 19:11 — Lou (not verified)

Off at tangent slightly but Brown said in the debate how Yates had spent more time dining with NI than he did investigating the referral on further hacking claims (8 hrs)

Mon, 2011-07-18 10:42 — John P Reid (not verified)

Well said swantandra, You still a cllr in Maldon, my family live there, I'm a cllr in East london

Thu, 2011-07-14 01:28 — Fergus Pickering (not verified)

Chris Bryant really IS the chap who appeared in his underpants of Facebook or U tube or something. I mean it IS him, isn't it?

Sun, 2011-07-17 16:50 — Dave Smith (not verified)

As a retired police offier, I would like to emphasise one point and one point only. Senior police officers appoint and are appointed by other senior police oficers. Those of us at the coal-face who do the job and don´t dabble in the politics, have no say in the matter.It does appear, however, that the scum rises to the surface.

Sun, 2011-07-17 17:26 — swatantra

Thos police officers on the ground do a marvellous job. But once they get behind a desk the political element inevitably creeps in. Your career route then depends on saying the right things and knowing the right people, and pulling the right strings. Hayman may be right. He was asked the 'when did you last stop beating your wife question' which was a bit unfair.
It'll be even worse when we get elected Police Chief Commissioners, but then it'll be the public which will be to blame if things then start going pearshaped. The nature of policing will be heavily politicized and even those coppers on the ground won't be able to escape from coming down on one side or the other.

Wed, 2011-07-13 12:52 — geoff (not verified)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfI40CF9_yw

...maybe when his stint as news international colomnust is over he could move over to their 20th century fox operation

Wed, 2011-07-13 14:04 — GreogoryHouse (not verified)

It's easy to mock. But I thought he was treated with extraordinary disrespect - his appearance before the Committee was not an open invitation for its members to impugne his personal integrity. Most damagingly, the treatment made clear how the little the Committee wanted to scrutinise the vast problems set before them, and how easily this was swept aside in party-political point-scoring.

Wed, 2011-07-13 14:13 — Paul Hillyard (not verified)

How do you give someone respect who goes drinking and having meal with people he is supposed to be investigating?

He didn't even see that there may be a conflict.

Andy Hayman is either very clever or very stupid. I honestly don't know which one.

Wed, 2011-07-13 14:28 — yossarian (not verified)

Hayman was already friendly with Coulson before the inquiry....he then went to work for NI after the inquiry...he deserves to be treated with the respect he showed his position.....none.

Wed, 2011-07-13 14:33 — ang (not verified)

I'm no psycologist, but Hayman's response, was so over-acted, that he had obviously been preparing for this 'dreaded' question. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.