PRIVACY campaigners criticised the decision to hold Mr Maxwell’s hearing in private and at an undisclosed location.

Gus Hosein, of Privacy International, said he was “outraged” by the apparent secrecy and said: “The administration of justice should not be done behind closed doors in a secret manner. It is one rule for one and one rule for another. It is utter hypocrisy.”

IPCC Commissioner Nicholas Long said he considered whether the hearing should be in public, and said: “In principle, I believed it should.”

But he added: “The process for directing a hearing in public requires extensive consultation which can be time consuming. I was mindful, among other matters, of public confidence to the force, morale within the force at a time of unprecedented change, additional cost and the welfare of the Chief Constable.

“I decided accordingly that these factors outweighed what would have been a significant delay of six months or more and I decided the hearing should be in private.”