West Yorkshire Police officer 'who put pregnant partner in choke hold' sacked

PC Dean Wolstencroft assaulted his former partner - who is also a serving officer with the West Yorkshire force - on six separate occasions during their eight year relationship.

He was found to have breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in relation to Discreditable Conduct and Authority, Respect and Courtesy, during a misconduct hearing at the force's headquarters in Wakefield and dismissed without notice.

Previously giving evidence, PC Wolstencroft's former partner described how he had attacked her on several occasions, including when she was pregnant and a previous time when he threw a cigarette lighter at her face, causing her a serious eye injury which resulted in hospital treatment.

Laura Nash, who represented PC Wolstencroft at the hearing, claimed that it was actually the male officer who had been the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of his former partner and that he had never assaulted the woman.

Discussing the alleged incident where PC Wolstencroft is accused of putting the woman in a choke hold when she was heavily pregnant, Ms Nash asked why she had not gone to the hospital if she feared her unborn baby was at risk.

The woman replied: "Because I didn't want them to know what had been happening."

Ms Nash said: "But you had previously gone to hospital with an injury for your eye and told the doctors it was because you fell onto a table. You said you lied then to hide the abuse, why not lie again?"

A picture of PC Wolstencroft with bruising to his face was shown to the panel, as was video footage of the officer in the downstairs bathroom with a bleeding cut to his hand. In the footage his former partner could be heard shouting and swearing stating: "I want you out, I'm going to change the locks, I have done it with him and I will do it with you, you are a hypocrite."

The footage was taken in December 2017, when the woman was six months pregnant.

Ms Nash said: "In your earlier evidence you spoke of him often being in drink and not wanting to antagonise him. That's not what we see here at all, you are antagonising him.

"I suggest that both of his injuries shown were as a result of you pushing him down the stairs.

The woman replied: "No I would never do something like this. Why would I risk that when I was heavily pregnant myself?"

Ms Nash went on to allege that the woman had also kicked PC Wolstencroft in the thigh in July 2018, despite her alleging that he had slapped her across the face.

Ms Nash also stated that when the couple went on holiday to Cyprus, the woman had kicked him in the back because she was angry with him for paying attention to another woman.

The woman strongly denied Ms Nash's allegations.

She said:"I am not here out of spite, I am a very private person.

"I didn't want to give a statement and I didn't want to go to court, but this is about my beliefs as a police officer. How can I continue to help victims of domestic violence if I don't report it myself?"

PC Wolstencroft denied all of the allegations against him, but gross misconduct was proven.