A former police detective has launched a legal case against his old force after claiming his fiancee cheated on him with a colleague and then married a senior officer involved in investigating his complaint.
Andrew Fearon is suing North Wales Police over alleged failings that cost him his mental health and his career, his solicitor told The Independent.
The High Court case stems from a complaint over his ex-partner and colleague Rebecca Hutt, who he alleged had an affair with another officer, called Shaun Parry, while they both worked at St Asaph Police Station.
In court papers seen by this publication, it is claimed that Mr Parry was relocated to Wrexham to prevent Mr Fearon initially discovering the affair, and to ensure Mr Parry was not disciplined for alleged sexual activity.
Mr Fearon, who worked 35 miles from St Asaph at Menai Bridge Police Station in Anglesey, did later find out about the alleged infidelity in May 2017 and rose a grievance at work over his ex-partner’s.
But the investigation was tainted, claimed Mr Fearon, because Detective Superintendent Steve Williams, involved in the probe, was also allegedly in a relationship with Ms Hutt. Mr Williams, who later married Ms Hutt and retired, has denied being in a relationship with her at the time of the investigation.
In around December 2017, Mr Fearon separately lodged a formal complaint with allegations against Ms Hutt of domestic violence, coercive control and fraud. He said his requests for the complaints to be investigated independently or externally were turned down.
The investigation ended with no further action.
The court papers for the claim state: “Naturally, his [Mr Fearson’s] perception was that the investigation of his grievance and criminal complaint had been tainted in circumstances in which he had repeatedly requested an independent / external investigation.
“Whether correctly or not, the claimant [Mr Fearon] believed that Detective Superintendent Steve Williams had used his rank to influence the outcome of the investigation in favour of RH [Rebecca Hutt].
“This could have been avoided at no inconvenience to the defendant by ensuring that his criminal complaint was independently investigated.”
Four years after lodging his complaints, the court papers state, the situation had become “mentally intolerable” for Mr Fearon, who informed a colleague that he intended to arrest Mr Williams.
The following day, it is claimed he was given two weeks’ leave, during which time he had his office key fob revoked and was prevented from coming to work. He later resigned.
In his claim, Mr Fearon is seeking damages for psychiatric injury arising from an alleged failure by North Wales Police to ensure his grievance and criminal complaint were independently and fairly investigated.
Mr Fearon had suffered a generalised anxiety disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder, the court papers said.
They also said: “The claimant avers that, from 2017 onwards, during each and every PDR [performance development reviews], he made endorsements to the following effect: ‘the corruption I have endured at the hands of North Wales Police has had a significant detrimental effect on my physical and mental health’.”
The case is due to be heard over six days at a Liverpool court in July.
According to the Daily Mail, Mr Williams has denied having a relationship with Ms Hutt while investigating Mr Fearon’s allegations. He said: “I strenuously deny these claims.”
Mr Parry told the same publication: “I have no comment about that man [Mr Fearon] and the case. I have moved on with my life and have no interest whatsoever.” Ms Hutt declined to comment, the Daily Mail reported.
A spokesperson for North Wales Police told The Independent: “As the matters referred to are currently subject to active legal proceedings, with a trial scheduled to take place in July, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.
“In accordance with our obligations, and to ensure the equity of the judicial process, we will not be providing any further detail or comment while proceedings are ongoing. Naturally, we would facilitate any further enquiries relating to these matters when proceedings conclude.”
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