THE wife of Scotland's chief constable has taken the remarkable step of publicly defending her husband – branding the bullying probe into his behaviour "a disproportionate fishing expedition".

Retired senior police officer Claire Gormley said her husband Phil has been "vilified" in the media "by some politicians" who had "immediately decided" her husband was guilty.

Mr Gormley has been on gardening leave since September amid investigations into bullying claims against him.

Writing in the Scottish Daily Mail, she also suggested that, as an Englishman, Mr Gormley was an "outsider" in Scotland and said she can't understand why he wasn't given sufficient support.

"It is very easy to attack the outsider, Phil doesn't have a Scottish accent," she wrote in the Mail.

"He was born in Surrey not Stirling. He was an outsider who no one knew, not even former SPA chairman Andrew Flanagan, contrary to media myth!"

She also went on to raise questions about police watchdog PIRC which is investigating four allegations of bullying and misconduct against Mr Gormley.

He has strongly denied misconduct, calling complaints vexatious and opportunistic.

She wrote: "PIRC, as it is known, may have a high case load, however, if his simple investigation had been properly conducted, this could have been dealt with in a few weeks.

"This basic investigation has all the features of a disproportionate fishing expedition."

And she added: "The manner in which the investigation has been conducted, allegations made and recorded, the half-truths and lack of transparency by those we entrust to ensure our police service is efficient, effective and keeps the people of Scotland safe, leaves me with little confidence that justice will prevail"

Mrs Gormley also said the "sorry affair" had left her husband in a position where he has been "unable to defend himself - or his reputation".

And she wrote: "I used to believe the trust would emerge. I felt it might take time but justice would be done.

"But today I find myself with little trust in the institutions charged with investigating and holding Police Scotland to account, with senior officials and with some senior officers themselves."

It is understood five complaints had previously been made about Mr Gormley’s conduct to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), which oversees Police Scotland, three of which were deemed serious enough to be referred to the Pirc, prompting full-blown investigations.

The latest referral is understood to involve a new, sixth complaint against Mr Gormley.

The Pirc said it would assess the allegation “to determine whether the conduct, if proved, would amount to misconduct, gross misconduct or neither and to establish whether an investigation is required”.

The SPA is next due to review whether Mr Gormley can return from leave on January 25.

He almost returned to duty in November, but Justice Secretary Michael Matheson intervened and the SPA board, which initially agreed to a reinstatement, reversed its decision.

The SPA said its referral to the Pirc followed an assessment which determined that, if proven, the allegations would amount to misconduct and require to be investigated.

Former Justice Secretary Kenneth MacAskill has urged Mr Gormley, the Chief Constable since January 2016, to leave and make way for his deputy, Iain Livingstone.

On Tuesday, Mr Livingstone attacked the SPA's conduct in relation to Mr Gormley's aborted return in November.