Ex-fire chief in £100k pension

A former fire chief who quit after being arrested for making indecent images of children is receiving a pension pot worth around £100,000 a year, it was revealed today.

West Midlands Fire Service today declined to release precise details of Frank Sheehan's pension citing the Data Protection Act.

But the force confirmed that, based on his salary at the time when he resigned last year, his final salary pension would have been £100,368.

Mr Sheehan would have been entitled to "commute" up to a quarter of his pension, meaning he would have been eligible to take a lump sum payout of £363,834. Doing so would leave him a £75,276 yearly pension. Mr Sheehan left his £150,000 a year post in November.

He received a police caution after officers raided his £400,000 home in Sutton Coldfield and arrested him on suspicion of making indecent images of children.

Following inquiries he was not charged by the Crown Prosecution Service on the grounds that it was "not in the public interest", but he was placed on the sex offenders register for two years.

The Express & Star submitted a Freedom of Information Act request asking for full details of Mr Sheehan's pension.

The service instead calculated figures based on his final salary. The service says it cannot comment on the pension payout for any member of staff.