A former Metropolitan Police officer subjected a woman to a campaign of physical abuse and coercive control, including smelling her underwear to check if she was cheating on him, a misconduct hearing has found.
Officer's abusive behavior detailed
The hearing, held at Sutton Police Station between June 2 and June 5, examined the conduct of former Detective Constable Lindsay Blackman. The panel was shown photo evidence of a bruise on the victim's arm, referred to as 'Ms A', after Blackman pinned her down and punched her twice following a row. The incident occurred after they attended a wake, where Blackman became drunk and verbally abusive. Ms A tried to sleep in her young son's room, but Blackman followed her, demanded she return to their bedroom, and attempted to remove her pyjama bottoms. When she refused sex, he threatened to “finish” her and “destroy” her.
Ms A described being dragged by the arm back to the bedroom, where Blackman blocked the door and said the only way he would leave was “if the police put a bullet in his head”. She felt physically overpowered and feared serious harm, even considering jumping out of the window to escape. Each time she tried to get up, he pulled her back, pinned her to the bed, and punched her arm twice. Her nearly three-year-old son was woken by the noise and entered the room; Blackman told him everything was fine. Ms A later contacted her brother at around 4am, who arrived and saw the bruising. Another brother was also called, but Blackman fled before he arrived.
Coercive control and further assaults
The panel heard that Blackman was controlling or coercive, causing “isolation, anxiety and withdrawal” in Ms A due to his jealousy, controlling behavior, and heavy alcohol consumption. He would often return home smelling of alcohol, which he tried to hide. In another incident, he threw Ms A onto a bed, leaving her bruised, after accusing her of sleeping with her cousin. On a trip to Amsterdam, when Ms A could not decide what to eat, Blackman pulled her hair and slapped her face, forcing other diners to intervene.
Blackman also questioned her contact with her mother, leading Ms A to stop visiting. He told her not to trim her pubic hair, and when she did, he accused her of cheating and would smell her underwear to check for signs of sexual activity. As a result, Ms A said she could not bear the thought of having a child with Blackman and aborted two pregnancies during the relationship.
Outcome of the hearing
Ms A later attended her GP and reported the assault, though she said she told the GP it was the first instance of domestic assault because she feared social services involvement. By the time of the hearing, Blackman was no longer a serving police officer. The panel concluded he had committed gross misconduct and would have been dismissed without notice if still serving.
