Lesbian police officer threatened woman over homophobic taunts
A lesbian police officer admitted threatening a woman who taunted her with anti-gay slurs, a court heard yesterday.
PC Helen Cound, an officer with West Mercia Police, was at a Christmas party last year at Crown Inn, in Hallow, near Worcester.
According to the Worcester News, Cheltenham magistrates court was told she overheard a woman making “ignorant and intrusive” comments about the sexuality of her partner Sharon Wallace.
Cound, who was drunk at the time of the incident, became “enraged and verbally abusive” towards the woman, prosecutor Graham Dono said.
Mr Dono added that Cound then threatened the woman with an empty wine bottle and was restrained by two other police officers, John Cooper and Stephen Ballard.
The court heard that PC Cooper was bitten on the arm and PC Ballard was kicked.
Defending, Simon Hunker said Cound was ashamed of her actions and had sought help from a therapist to prevent future outbursts.
“She is normally the epitome of calm and a calming influence on others,” he said, “but on this occasion they had all been drinking.”
Cound was orginally charged with affray and common assault but this was reduced to using threatening words and behaviour, which she admitted.
The 35-year-old, of Droitwich, Worcestershire, was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 towards prosecution costs and £100 in compensation to PC Cooper.
A spokesman for West Mercia Police said she remained suspended from her job and would be subject to disciplinary procedures.
