Profile: John Yates - the successor

Thursday, 9 April 2009 12:00 AM

By Ian Dunt

The man taking over from Bob Quick has the dubious luck of being the person turned to when things go pear-shaped at the Met.

The police's reliance on John Yates for all sorts of high-profile investigations and apologies led him to receive the distinction of a bona-fide tabloid nickname: 'Yates of the Yard'.

It's not the only nickname he's received. He was referred to as the leader of the 'Celebrity Squad' after heading the investigations into Lord Archer for perjury, John Leslie for rape and a fraud investigation involving the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

In 2005 he took on the investigation into the cash-for-honours affair, arguably the most high-profile police investigation of the period. And he showed no fear in conducting it. He interviewed Tony Blair several times - on each occasion prompting a slew of front-page headlines and reams of column inches discussing the fact a sitting prime minister was being questioned by police.

Lord Levy, Blair's chief fundraiser and his special envoy to the Middle East, also came in for questioning. He wasn't alone. By the end of the investigation 130 people had been interviewed and four arrested. But the crown prosecution service (CPS) said there was insufficient evidence to pres charges. Yates, clearly frustrated, said his officers had received "less than full co-operation".

His last high-profile task came in the form of a long-overdue apology to the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian electrician shot dead by counter-terrorist police after the failed London bombings in 2005.

He travelled to a remote mountain village several hours away from Rio de Janeiro for what he later described as "a humbling experience".

A passionate Liverpool fan, Yates was receiving updates about the Quick debacle as he watched his side get devastated by Chelsea last night in the Champions League.

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