Policewoman sacked after attacking mother's love rival in the reduced meat aisle of store

A police officer has been sacked after being caught on CCTV attacking her mother's love rival in the reduced meat aisle of the Asda supermarket in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. Off-duty West Midlands Police constable Beth Walker struck out with such force her victim was "knocked flying", a professional misconduct panel heard.



Panel chairman Harry Ireland said Ms Walker had carried out a "gratuitous, violent act" on a member of the public. She was found guilty of gross misconduct and sacked immediately. The two-day hearing in Birmingham was told Ms Walker's mother had been in a relationship with the man who had gone on to wed Ms Walker's victim.

CCTV footage showed the now sacked PC approaching the couple while swinging an empty shopping basket at about 7:20pm on 24 June 2014. The victim told the hearing: "I was in Asda looking into the chiller for meat and Beth had just come up. She barged me and then said 'that was a long time coming'." The footage showed Ms Walker sticking out her elbow and stepping into the victim. The action sent the woman stumbling into a spin. Her shoe was sent flying off in one direction and a pack of meat she was holding in the other.



The officer claimed she only went to say hello, and put her elbow out in what she described as a "friendly" greeting. Ms Walker said: "I would say it was perhaps ill-timed and somewhat clumsy but due to the confined space and my basket, it just comes over as awkward and a little clumsy." But presenting the case against 40-year-old, Matthew Holdcroft said the officer had employed a "direct, violent elbow strike" on her victim. Ms Walker, who had worked in the response and neighbourhood policing teams in Birmingham city centre, was dismissed with immediate effect.