Former Policewoman Assaulted
In an early morning raid on her Merseyside home .
Returning home at 12.50am on the 27th October 2002 Mr Southern noticed a police car
parked close to his home. Two policemen got out. The taller walked into the driveway
of Mr Southern’s home. Mr Southern shouted “AY”. The policeman stopped, turned and
said angrily, “who you shouting ay to”, Mr Southern replied that he did not want
him waking his mother at 1am in the morning. The policeman said he was checking numbers;
Mr Southern described his attitude as aggressive. This policeman then joined his
colleague on the neighbouring drive.
The neighbours door opened and Mrs Stapleton
came out, she challenged the policemen saying, “what are you doing on my premises,
get out”, she then said, “I am asking you to leave now”. The taller policeman was
by now “in her face”, he replied,”we have every fucking right to be here” and grabbing
her by the arm he threw her to the floor of her hallway, stamped on her back and
handcuffed her.
Mrs Stapleton shouted “Charlie”. The second policeman had now also
moved into the house. Mr Southern could see that Mrs Stapleton was very distressed
and she was asking for her inhaler, “Charlie, my inhaler” she said repeatedly. Mr
Stapleton said, “what are you arresting her for mate?” to which the officer replied,”I’m
not your fucking mate so wind your fucking neck in or I will arrest you to”. Mrs
Stapleton, although in pain did not swear at the officers. There was a lot of noise.
A
second police car pulled up and another two officers got out, this was followed by
a police van, a third police car and yet another police van. Mr Southern describes
Mrs Stapleton as being led away semi naked and bare foot, she was crying and asking
for her slippers and her inhaler. She was frog marched down the road in a lot of
distress. There were a lot of police officers, she was thrown into the back of a
police car. Her neighbour describes the incident as absolutely shocking.
A statement
made by Karen Stapleton’s husband Charles William Stapleton gives further detail
of this incident. At around midnight on Saturday 26th of October 2002 my wife and
I were chatting to our son. We were all in a happy mood. I was enjoying a cigar and
my wife a glass of white wine and soda water, diluted because she suffers from asthma.
The television was on mute. At around 00.50 hours (now Sunday) their son said goodnight
and left the room followed by his mother on the way to the bathroom.
Charles was relaxing
in his recliner when he heard his wife shout, "Charles there's two men going down
the back, quick." Being disabled he could not run. He heard the front door open as
he was entering the hallway, and heard his wife shout,"this is private property,
get out", she was on the drive about 10 feet from their door which was wide open.
He heard her say, "what are you doing here?" A man's voice roared, "I am a fucking
copper and I have every right to be here, now shut the fuck up". On reaching the
doorway he saw a policeman, aged 30-35 years, about 6ft 2ins, heavy set and wearing
an open navy blue jacket, no hat, dark hair.
Backing away his wife then said, "I am
going to get my husband and I am asking you to leave these premises now", and as
she walked towards me, "excuse me officer, you've been asked to leave, please do
so". Charles retreated into the hallway to allow his wife into the house when the
officer lunged at her, violently striking her in the back. The force sent her flying
and she fell to the ground. The officer ran at her saying, "don't you tell me to
leave, you fucking slag." He grabbed her arm as she was falling and swung her round,
she hit the floor hard. He slammed his cuffs onto her left arm very aggressively,
she screamed in pain. I tried to get the officer away from her, he stomped his foot
into the back of her head and neck and roared at me "get the fuck away or I'll kick
your fucking head in".
Charles felt scared for both his wife and himself. The policeman
grabbed her other arm, wrenching it back, bones cracked, she screamed in pain. She
was now having difficulty in breathing, she is a chronic asthmatic having just completed
her 9th course of antibiotics and prednisilone. Their sons and daughter aged 14,
9 and 8 were by now all crying and watching their mother being attacked after having
been woken by the swearing and abuse of the officer.
Another male officer walked into
the hallway, so close his boot made contact with the face of Charles' wife. He was
aged about 28, small in stature, light hair which was wavy, no hat. Grabbing his
CS gas spray he lunged at Charles saying, "fucking back off, fucking back off or
I will use this". This officer then booted Charles in the leg. The pain was immense,
this is the leg that charles is receiving treatment to for Osteo Arthritis. "He was
threatening to us all, even our children". I asked him what he was arresting my wife
for, he replied, "she verbally abused the officer.
"My wife had not abused anybody! It was she that was being attacked!"
The taller officer
then grabbed my wife by the handcuffs and reached under her body with his other hand.
At that time we were ready for going to bed and my wife was not wearing clothing
except for a sarong she uses when relaxing. He raised her off the ground with his
hand gripping her right breast, she repeatedly asked him to remove his hand but he
refused. My wife was having trouble breathing and kept asking for her inhaler, the
police did nothing to help her, we could not move for fear of being beaten.
A WPC
arrived and around twenty officers, she told the taller policeman to cover his wife
up, he still did nothing, the WPC pulled his wife's skirt around her naked body then
left the scene along with the other officers, except for the original two. Up to
this time I had not seen a police car outside my home. I followed them out as did
our children all screaming for their mother who was in severe distress, semi naked,
no shoes and literally being dragged down the road by the handcuffs to a police car
which was parked about 10 yards down the road.
My son went back into the house and
got her slippers and took them to her, he gave them to the smaller officer who threw
them into the car. I could see my neighbour watching but I was in too much shock
and distress to speak to him. My wife was thrown into the back of the car by the
taller officer landing awkwardly. I heard her scream in agony, "shut the fuck up"
was the taller officers response. No seat belt was placed on my wife. The officers
got into the front and the car was driven away at speed. At the junction they slammed
on the brakes, I heard the tyres screaching.
I took my children into the house and
telephoned the police to try to get some justification or clarification for what
had just happened. I was told that someone had made a 999 call saying a woman was
screaming at our address (no wonder she was being attacked by two policeman!). I
spent the remainder of the night trying to comfort my children who were hysterical.
As a retired constable with 22 years service I have never seen such a horrifying
display of aggression by police officers in uniform.
When my wife returned home the
following day she told me of her terrifying ordeal whilst in the custody suite. I
photographed her injuries and drove her to Arrowe Park (hospital). The consultant
xrayed her hands and wrists and said he would supply written evidence to our solicitor.
My wife was given painkillers. That night I had a doctor out, he immediately gave
her 5 diazepam sleeping tablets. The following day her GP called and gave her more
sleeping tablets. She has required more medication since and has been off work because
of her injuries and the stress of being indecently assaulted by PC Pulford and savagely
beaten by the same officer. My wife, normally a happy easy going person who is studying
for a masters degree in criminal justice is now extremely withdrawn. I have also
attended my GP clinic to record the severity of the bruising to my leg after being
assaulted by the smaller officer who I now know to be PC Molyneux.
Editors comment:
The
above precis of what happened during that night has been taken from statements made
by their neighbour and Karen Stapleton's husband, Charles. Other statements by Karen
and their son supply similar detail. So what was behind this? Karen is a former member
of the police force (as is her husband) and she has also served as a prison officer.
She has unique experience of both ends of the justice system. Now studying for a
M.Sc she is highly critical of policing in this country and her articles on the subject
have produced enemies. She states that this raid was to frighten her and shut her
up. Following are examples of those articles:
The following is part only of an article giving some information on the appointment of magistrates which is surprising.
Justice denied and a system that is fundamentally flawed causes concern
www.slimeylimeyjustice.org