JAMES Ashley was shot and killed by an armed police officer in the early hours of January 15 last year. Four months later five officers involved in the operation that led to his death were suspended from duty. Now the Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex Police has also been suspended. Matt Adams examines the case so far.

IT IS 401 days since two police marksmen burst into Ashley's flat in Western Road, St Leonards, on a pre-planned mission to arrest a suspected drugs dealer from Liverpool.

Acting on intelligence, members of the force's Special Operations Unit, equipped with Hechler and Koch MP5 rifles, were told their target was a violent convicted killer who could be armed.

The operation was given the go-ahead.

Hours later, 39-year-old Ashley had been fatally injured by a single shot fired by PC Christopher Sherwood.

But then, in an extraordinary series of admissions by the police, it emerged Ashley was not armed as originally thought and no guns were found in the flat.

Ashley was naked in bed with his girlfriend Caroline Courtland Smith seconds before the lethal blast.

Only a small and insignificant amount of cannabis was found in the flat.

What Chief Constable Paul Whitehouse said immediately after the shooting has since become paramount to both investigations into what went wrong.

He said: "I very much regret that we have shot a man and regret even more that he has died.

"However, in the light of all the information available to me at this time, I am satisfied that the operation was properly and professionally planned, that the use of firearms was justified, and that my officers acted properly and with due regard to everybody's safety."

Yesterday's suspension of Deputy Chief Constable Mark Jordan by the Sussex Police Authority is the latest development in a chain of events that appears to cast doubt over the facts supporting Mr Whitehouse's comments.

The suspension follows a report by Barbara Wilding, then Assistant Chief Constable of Kent Police, who was called in to lead an independent investigation into the shooting.

Her role was to examine the criminal side of the incident.

Later she also examined the conduct of the force's senior officers, including Paul Whitehouse, and complaints made specifically against his number two, Mark Jordan, a father of three.

In May, an inquest into Ashley's death heard allegations that senior Sussex officers misrepresented intelligence before the raid.

Then, in December, it was reported, through leaked information, that the same senior officers had been heavily criticised in a report by the Chief Constable of Hampshire Police, Sir John Hoddinott, called in to investigate the conduct of Sussex's chief officers in a separate probe.

Mr Jordan's suspension is the latest sign that disciplinary action could be taken against the highest ranking officers in Sussex if the findings are ultimately accepted.

In what would be another unprecedented step, Mr Whitehouse could himself be suspended.

Ken Bodfish, chairman of the Sussex Police Authority, said: "Suspending the chief constable or his deputy is about the most serious step the police authority can take.

"The suspension yesterday relates to matters prior to the shooting.

"Because the chief constable and his deputy are appointed by us, we can dismiss them or suspend them. We have a responsibility to see whether there are any disciplinary charges arising.

"But it is quite difficult to find a way through the mess because there are so many different interests: the interests of the dead man's family, the interests of the police officers suspended from lower ranks to senior ranks, and the interests of the community."

The police authority says it cannot make final decisions about disciplinary proceedings until the Director of Public Prosecutions announces whether criminal charges are to be brought.

The Crown Prosecution Service is expected to announce whether it is to charge officers involved in the shooting within the next few days.

The officer who fired the fatal shot could be charged with murder.

Three other officers suspended following Ms Wilding's investigation, namely Supt Chris Burton, who was in charge of the operation, Det Insp Kevin French and Insp Chris Siggs, could also face separate charges.

In the words of Mr Whitehouse, the whole affair has already shaken the force to its core.

After learning of Mark Jordan's suspension, he said: "We deeply regret the shooting of James Ashley.

"Its repercussions have been felt throughout the force and are continuing to be felt."

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