Ex-Cleveland Police Officer Accused of Assaulting Witness and Hiding Mobile Phone..

Former PC2522 Daniel Smythe...

The Former Cleveland Police Constable is Accused of Resetting his Mobile Phone After Arrest...

22nd July 2026

A former Cleveland Police officer is due to face an accelerated misconduct hearing over allegations involving assaults against a witness and attempts to prevent officers from recovering information from his mobile phone.

Former Police Constable 2522 Daniel Smythe, who has since resigned from the force, is scheduled to appear before the hearing at Scotswood House in Thornaby on Thursday, 23rd July 2026.

According to a public notice issued ahead of the hearing, it's alleged former PC Smythe assaulted a person identified only as “Witness A” on two separate occasions.

The first allegation states that on 11 March 2024 he threw liquid over Witness A. A further allegation claims that, on or around 28 April 2024, he grabbed the witness’s back as they were leaving.

The hearing will also consider two allegations relating to Smythe’s mobile phone following his arrest on 24 April 2025.

It is alleged that Smythe told officers he had lost the phone when he had instead hidden it inside a plant pot at the address where he was arrested.

He is further alleged to have carried out a factory reset of the device, preventing material from being recovered from it.

Cleveland Police says the allegations, if proven, would amount to breaches of the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to discreditable conduct and honesty and integrity.

The matters have been assessed as potentially amounting to gross misconduct.

An accelerated misconduct hearing is generally used where the force considers there is sufficient evidence that an officer or former officer may have committed gross misconduct and that dismissal would have been justified had the individual remained in service.

Although Smythe has since resigned from the disgraced Teesside force however disciplinary proceedings can continue against the former officer. A finding of gross misconduct could result in a determination that he would have been dismissed had he still been serving and may lead to his inclusion on the police barred list.

Strict reporting restrictions are said to be in place protecting the identity of Witness A meaning the Teesside & Durham Post is unable to disclose any details.