A DISGRACED policeman who lied to a court is to face formal proceedings which could see him sacked from the force in the next few weeks.

Gwent Police Constable Christopher Watkins, 40, formerly of Dingle Road, Abergavenny, was found guilty of perjury and given a suspended six-month jail term in May.

The officer - who is suspended from duty on full pay - is appealing against his sentence.

But with no appeal date fixed, Watkins is now set to face a police disciplinary hearing supervised by the Police Complaints Authority to decide if he is to be kicked off the force.

Police say Watkins' right to appeal against his conviction caused a delay in their own disciplinary proceedings, which will now be resolved in the coming weeks.

Watkins was suspended from duty when a criminal investigation began against him in 2001.

Detective Superintendent Ray Wise, head of Gwent Police's standards unit supervising complaints and discipline, said: "The appeal process is taking longer than anticipated. We have now decided to arrange the misconduct hearing as soon as possible before the appeal has been finalised.

"There are formal proceedings which have to take place." Det Supt Wise said the arrangements were under way for the hearing to take place in the coming weeks and it is hoped it will be finalised in September.

Watkins was found guilty of perjury by a jury after a two-week trial at Cardiff crown court.

Sentencing Watkins, Judge John Griffith Williams, QC, called him a "disgrace" to the force.

He and a fellow officer, PC Neil Martin, formerly of Gilwern, were accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a 43-year-old Ebbw Vale poultry worker Graham Jones in a police van after he was arrested in Abergavenny town centre in February 2001.

They were both acquitted of assault but Watkins was found guilty of deliberately lying before Abergavenny magistrates' in October 2001 when Mr Jones was on trial for assaulting the policeman.

Watkins maintained only he and Martin were in the police van at the time of the incident.

However, it emerged before the magistrates that special police constable Jeremy Miles was also present. Mr Miles claimed at the two-week trial that it was Watkins who had assaulted Mr Jones.

The charges against Mr Jones were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service and a criminal investigation into Watkins and PC Martin began.

The PCA considered whether disciplinary proceedings should be taken against PC Martin but he is now back in work.

Det Supt Wise said: "The PCA decided there were no grounds to support any misconduct proceedings against him but they wanted a full de-brief regarding the whole affair."