Police officer developed PTSD over handling of fiancée’s affair with colleague, court told
Former detective Andrew Fearon is suing North Wales Police for more than £300,000 in damages and loss of earnings [BBC]
A former North Wales Police officer developed complex post-traumatic stress following what he described as “institutional trauma”, a consultant psychiatrist has told a court.
Andrew Fearon is suing the force after his fiancée cheated on him with a colleague and later married a senior civil servant assigned to investigate the matter.
Fearon was engaged to be married to police officer Rebecca Hutt but they split in 2017 after she had an affair, Liverpool Civil Court was told.
The court heard the complainant had access withdrawn from some police stations after threatening to arrest the officer investigating the incident, by which point he developed PTSD.
The initial complaints process found there was no case to answer after an investigation into Hutt, overseen by Det Supt Steven Williams, was launched.
However, the court heard that Williams and Hutt’s marriage became public knowledge in 2021.
Fearon told the court he believed the police investigation into his complaints had been “spoiled” by the senior officer.
It emerged that he had threatened to arrest Williams and as a result his access to police stations in North Wales was withdrawn.
Psychiatrist Prof Douglas Turkington said the decision triggered complex PTSD.
Turkington, who was called to testify on Fearon’s behalf, said: “His fob access was revoked. He became a victim of the institution.”
“At this point his mental health is completely deteriorating. He is developing complex PTSD.”
During the trial, Fearon and his legal team acknowledged that Williams was not in a relationship with his ex-fiancee at the time of the complaint investigation.
Andrew Fearon’s ex-fiancée Rebecca Hutt is now married to Det Supt Steven Williams, who investigated complaints about Fearon’s relationship with another colleague. [BBC]
Giving evidence on Friday, Williams told the court she did not start seeing Hutt until April 2020, when he invited her to join him on a cycling tour.
She said she later notified the police’s public standards team that she had been in a relationship with the officer.
Fearon’s case is that North Wales Police should refer his complaints to an external police force; This was something he had asked to happen four times in 2018, breaching the police’s duty of care to him.
He claims that the force’s poor response caused him further trauma.
He is claiming £343,251 in compensation and loss of earnings.
The trial continues.
