Warwickshire police officer pleads guilty to assaulting woman
He'll be sentenced in July
Last updated 24th Jun 2024
A police officer has pleaded guilty to four counts of assault on a woman.
Paul Whitehurst, 53, a detective sergeant with Warwickshire Police, had been due to stand trial at Chester Crown Court on Monday charged with assault and sexual assault.
He changed his pleas before the trial began and admitted three counts of assaulting the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in October and December last year.
He had pleaded guilty to a fourth count of assault at an earlier hearing.
Brett Williamson, prosecuting, said one of the counts of assault was an alternative to a count of sexual assault, which he asked to lie on the file.
Saul Brody, defending, said Whitehurst, of Nantwich, Cheshire, was a "man of previous good character" and asked for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Recorder Michael Hayton KC remanded Whitehurst in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing on July 29.
Whitehurst, who wore a black suit and tie for the short court hearing, was charged after police were called to reports of an incident in Nantwich at about 11.30pm on December 13 last year.
Detective Chief Inspector Steve Flavell from Warwickshire Police Professional Standards Department said: "I would like to pay tribute to the victim in this case who has shown great bravery in reporting her ordeal to police, supporting this investigation and ensuring Whitehurst faced justice.
"The public place their trust in police officers to uphold the law and look out for the most vulnerable members of society.
"Unfortunately, offences such as this damage confidence in policing. We will continue to work with our communities to rebuild this confidence by embedding the values of respect, empathy and public service in the force.
"I'm sure I speak for the vast majority of officers when I say we remain committed to tackling the behaviour of the small number of officers who bring our profession into disrepute."