A CHIEF constable who was suspended over allegations of bullying has been cleared of misconduct.

Simon Byrne was suspended from the top role at Cheshire Constabulary last year after being accused of breaching standards of professional behaviour in respect of authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct.

A misconduct hearing held in Warrington earlier this year was told he had a reputation for being like Darth Vader and treated junior officers and staff like "roadkill."

His contract as chief constable has expired since his suspension.

At Warrington Town Hall on Tuesday, Cheshire police and crime commissioner David Keane announced that the panel had found no allegations of misconduct or gross misconduct were proved against Mr Byrne.

Gerry Boyle QC, representing Mr Byrne, said the panel found the proceedings against the former chief constable "could and should have been avoided".

Mr Byrne, 55, was alleged to have bullied and belittled staff after moving from the Met Police to take up the top role at the Cheshire force in 2014.

The hearing was told he handed pictures of Dad's Army characters to officers after he became angry when flooding made him late for work.

He was also accused of displaying "daily mood swings" for a fortnight after his application for the post of chief constable of Greater Manchester Police was rejected in 2015.

During his evidence to the hearing, Mr Byrne denied bullying staff.

He said: "It was never my intention to cause people worry or upset."

In a statement released after the hearing, Mr Byrne said: "I am very pleased to have been totally exonerated of any wrongdoing, despite the police and crime commissioner trying to throw the book at me.

"All the allegations against me have been rejected and I suspect that members of the public will be astonished that one of them involved me 'misapplying' my time as chief constable in responding to a 999 call from a victim of domestic violence, assisting in the search for the offender and transporting him to a custody centre.

"This whole affair has been an ordeal for all parties that has gone on too long and wasted precious public money scrutinising my conduct when leading what Mr Keane has described himself as a high performance force."

He added: "In some ways, it still feels like upside down justice as I have lost my vocation after 35 years of public service.

"Nonetheless, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the fantastic men and women I have had the privilege to work alongside in four police forces over nearly four decades of my life."