Former Warwickshire Police detective admits assaulting woman

A FORMER Warwickshire Police detective has pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman after throwing a pint over her and pinning her to the floor.

Paul Whitehurst, who was a detective sergeant working in the anti-corruption and professional standards department, was previously investigated in Warwickshire following allegations he stalked a woman.

The 53-year-old, of Barony Road, Nantwich, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday (24th June) to face four counts of section 39 assault.

The charges relate to four incidents involving a woman, also from Nantwich, which occurred between October and December 2023.

During one of the incidents Whitehurst pushed the victim across a caravan following a disagreement between the pair, on another occasion he verbally abused her and threw a pint over her after she spoke to another man at a pub. In the final attack he pinned his victim to the floor following another disagreement.

He was remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced on 29th July.

Last year, Warwickshire Police faced a furious reaction following claims that they failed to adequately deal with Whitehurst when he was accused of stalking. The case was handed to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in November 2020, but Whitehurst was not suspended from duty until 2022.

At the time, the force told the Herald that it had followed guidelines and had not instigated misconduct proceedings as it did not want to jeopardise potential criminal proceedings.

This week, the force confirmed that Whitehurst no longer worked for them.

Following Monday’s guilty plea, Det Con Lauren Constable, from Cheshire Constabulary, said: “Police officers are placed in a position of trust and there are clear guidelines about the standards expected from them, both in and out of work.

“Whitehurst was aware of these standards, but sadly he chose to ignore them. Not only did he assault his victim multiple times, but he also went on to breach the bail conditions that were set for him by the court.

“I would like to take this as an opportunity to thank the victim for the bravery she has shown throughout this case, and I hope that the guilty plea will provide her with some closure.”