Officer's Career Ends After Mushroom Foraging Case

A police officer who attempted to sanction a woman accused of illegally foraging for mushrooms committed gross misconduct, a disciplinary hearing has found. Christopher Vickers would have been dismissed had he not already left Leicestershire Police, a misconduct panel ruled.

In 2024, Louise Gather, from Derby, visited Bradgate Park in Leicestershire to search for magpie inkcap mushrooms. Police were alerted by a member of the public who reported seeing her carrying a knife and feared she was removing potentially poisonous fungi.

Mr Vickers, who had 20 years' service, later attended Ms Gather's home with the intention of issuing a Community Resolution Order — an informal disposal used to deal with low-level offences without court proceedings. Such orders require the alleged offender to be spoken to directly, to accept responsibility, and to sign the relevant documentation.

However, when Ms Gather was not at home, Mr Vickers issued the order to her partner, breaching force policy. He subsequently submitted paperwork stating he had spoken to Ms Gather in person and had issued the order directly to her.

Ms Gather told the BBC: "I did not personally instigate or pursue a complaint against the officer. The professional standards department asked for my version of events when they realised the officer had recorded a crime on my record without evidence or ever speaking to me."

The Johnson Partnership, Derby