‘Traumatised’ detective sues force over ‘tainted’ probe on ex-partner’s alleged affair
A former police detective has launched a lawsuit against his former force after claiming his fiancee cheated on him with a colleague and then married a senior police officer who investigated her complaint.
He said his lawyer, Andrew Fearon, is suing North Wales Police over alleged failures that cost him his mental health and career. Independent.
The High Court case stems from a complaint from his former partner and colleague Rebecca Hutt, who alleged she had an affair with another police officer, Shaun Parry, while they were both working at St Asaph Police Station.
Court documents seen by this publication allege Mr Parry was transferred to Wrexham to prevent Mr Fearon initially discovering the relationship and to ensure Mr Parry was not disciplined for alleged sexual activity.
Mr Fearon, who worked at Menai Bridge Police Station on Anglesey, 35 miles from St Asaph, later learned of the alleged infidelity in May 2017 and made a complaint against his former partner at work.
But Mr Fearon claimed the investigation was tainted because Detective Superintendent Steve Williams, who was involved in the investigation, also had an affair with Ms Hutt. Mr Williams, who later married Ms Hutt and retired, denied having an affair with her during the investigation.
In approximately December 2017, Mr Fearon separately lodged a formal complaint against Ms Hutt, alleging domestic violence, coercive control and fraud. He said his requests for an independent or external investigation of the complaints were rejected.
The investigation ended without further action.
Court documents regarding the claim state: “Naturally, his [Mr Fearson’s] There was a perception that the investigation into his complaint and criminal complaint was flawed in circumstances where he had repeatedly requested an independent/external investigation.
“Whether true or not, the plaintiff [Mr Fearon] He believed Detective Superintendent Steve Williams was using his rank to influence the outcome of the investigation in RH’s favor. [Rebecca Hutt].
“By ensuring an independent investigation of the criminal complaint, this situation could have been prevented without causing any inconvenience to the defendant.”
Court documents state that four years after making the complaint, the situation became “mentally unbearable” for Mr Fearon, who informed a colleague that he planned to arrest Mr Williams.
The next day, he was allegedly given two weeks’ leave, during which his office keychain was revoked and he was prevented from coming to work. He later resigned.
In his claim, Mr Fearon seeks compensation for psychiatric injury resulting from the failure of North Wales Police to ensure an independent and fair investigation of his complaint and criminal complaint.
Court documents stated Mr. Fearon suffered from generalized anxiety disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
They also said: “The plaintiff has been accused of [performance development reviews]He confirmed: ‘The corruption I endured at the hands of North Wales Police had a significantly detrimental impact on my physical and mental health.’”
The case is expected to be heard over six days in Liverpool court in July.
Accordingly the Daily MailMr Williams denied having an affair with Ms Hutt while investigating Mr Fearon’s allegations. “I strongly deny these allegations,” he said.
Mr Parry told the same publication: “I have no comment on this man [Mr Fearon] and litigation. I have moved on with my life and have no involvement.” Ms Hutt declined to comment. Daily Mail reported.
A spokesman for North Wales Police said: Independent: “As the matters mentioned are currently subject to active legal proceedings and the hearing is planned to be held in July, it would not be appropriate for us to comment at this time.
“In accordance with our obligations and in order to ensure the equality of the judicial process, we will not provide further details or comments while the proceedings are ongoing. Naturally, we will facilitate further investigations into these matters once the proceedings are concluded.”
