Former police officer found guilty of harassment

A former police officer has been found guilty of harassing his former partner and breaching a restraining order not to contact her.

Paul Whitehurst, from Holywell in north Wales, had previously pleaded guilty in July to five charges of assaulting her by beating.

The 54-year-old, who spent 21 years with Warwickshire Police, was ordered not to contact her or her family directly, via social media or a third party, but 16 days later searched for her online.

Following a trial at Mold Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, Whitehurst will be sentenced on 16 May.

The court heard how Whitehurst accessed the LinkedIn profile of his former partner, Holly - not her real name.

Giving evidence, she told the court how she had just started a new job when she received a notification that Whitehurst had looked at her details and those of her new boss.

Her profile showed the company she worked for and the areas she covered.

"I was absolutely horrified and petrified," Holly said.

"Paul Whitehurst went to prison for assaulting me. The thought that he'd come out of prison and was still infatuated with me was terrifying.

"There's a restraining order stopping him from going to where I live but what is there to stop him coming to where I work.

"I now have to have colleagues walk with me through the car park and to the station."

Whitehurst told the magistrates he was looking for a job in finance and wanted to make sure that he was not working on the same business park as Holly.

"If I'd wanted to message her I'd have messaged her," he said.

"I was being diligent by checking where she worked."

Warwickshire Police said it could not comment on Wednesday's trial as Whitehurst had now left the force.

The 54-year-old was a Det Sgt in the force's anti-corruption unit when he attacked Holly.

He was sentenced to 18 weeks in jail in July after he pleaded guilty to the five charges of assaulting her by beating.

At that time, Holly predicted that he would breach his sentence and continue to try and contact her.

"He's a severe danger to women, people need to be made aware," she added.

"It's a pattern of behaviour and it's just getting worse."

Holly was not the first person to contact the police about his behaviour.

Charlotte Smith said she was stalked and harassed by Whitehurst after she ended their brief relationship.

"He felt like he was above the law and he felt like he could do whatever he wanted to do," Ms Smith said.

"He would literally appear out of nowhere. It would feel like somebody was watching me.

She said she had more than 30 videos recorded of Whitehurst being outside her house.

She reported her concerns to Warwickshire Police but was told there was not enough evidence to charge him.

Ms Smith's reports were not part of the charges of assault and harassment that Whitehurst faced in court.

Warwickshire Police held a gross misconduct hearing into the former officer's behaviour in May which found he would have been dismissed had he not retired a month earlier.

Ms Smith said Warwickshire Police missed opportunities to protect her and Holly.

"If my complaints were handled professionally, efficiently, then this could have prevented it from happening sooner," she added.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has since investigated Ms Smith's complaints.

The police watchdog advised Warwickshire Police that the force should hold a further four investigations into Whitehurst for committing gross misconduct during his time as an officer.

Nine months after the IOPC's recommendations, a spokesperson for the force said inquiries were continuing but no date had been set for any hearings to take place.

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