Kevin Nunes: ‘together we achieved the correct result’ what officers said to each other after review of failings

Superintendent Joe Costello was asked to carry out a management review of the Sensitive Policing Unit after complaints by Detective Inspector Joe Anderson over officers’ conduct and the way the Nunes star witness Simeon Taylor was being handled.

The review found that Detective Constable Nigel Sargeant – one of Taylor’s handlers – was having an affair with the female disclosure officer on the case and that they stayed at the same hotel as the witness.

Supt Costello found there were ‘significant concerns about the objectivity, judgment, and overall professionalism’ of Dc Sargeant and that the affair could have led to contamination of evidence. The female officer admitted meeting Taylor, on one occasion and at the original murder trial he seemed to be aware of evidence he shouldn’t have known about.

The Costello Report also looked at a range of allegations but DI Anderson says it never fully looked into all of his concerns. Supt Costello recommended Dc Sargeant be excluded from handling witnesses and informants and that he receive ‘formal advice’ about meeting the disclosure officer while on protected witness duties.

But despite its shocking contents – and the obvious impact it could have on the then-impending Nunes murder trial – the Costello Report was never disclosed to lawyers. On March 7, 2007, Dc Sargeant was given formal advice about his conduct as a result of the review.

The same evening, Supt Costello sent an email to Dc Sargeant saying: “Thanks for the message on the phone. I do appreciate your comments. It was a bit of an epic but, together we achieved the correct result. You have plenty of ability so go and show what you are capable of. Good luck.”

Supt Costello – who is now retired – was questioned about the exchange by police watchdog inspectors. The 587-page Operation Kalmia report states: “It is significant that earlier in the same day Dc Sargeant had been given formal advice as a result of the findings of the management review. When questioned about this Supt Costello stated during interview he had not got a clue what the e-mail was about and claimed he did not know Dc Sargeant had received formal advice. He added he was ‘no mate of Dc Sargeant and was ‘straight down the line’.”