A senior police officer ‘flew into a rage’ and attacked his PC lover’s estranged husband after he caught them having sex in a Screwfix car park, a defence barrister told a jury....CONTINUE READING
Ex-cop Gavin Harper is accused of stalking his estranged wife, serving constable Stephanie Glynn, with jurors told he bugged her car, took her phone, hacked into her social media and downloaded her Snapchat history following the breakdown of their relationship in 2020.
He is also accused of unlawfully wounding Ms Glynn’s new partner, acting Inspector Andrew McLullich, after Mr Harper caught the pair having sex in a Screwfix car park on February 16 2021.
At his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the former Merseyside cop’s barrister, Suzanne Payne, alleged to the jury a different version of events.
She said: “When Harper opened the back door of the car, Mr McLullich realised what was happening and he flew into a rage. He turned around and he started punching Harper to the face, so much so that Harper fell backwards into the side of the car. Then Mr McLullich got out of the car, stumbling because his pants were still around his ankles, and when he pulled them up he lunged at Harper,” reports The Echo.
“Harper did fight back, hitting him. Then Harper stopped fighting. He had no fight left in him. He started to take the punches.”
Pictures of Harper’s badly bruised and bloodied face were shown to the jury. But his estranged wife Ms Glynn said: “I would suggest they are self inflected because that’s the type of person he is.”
Barrister Ms Payne said Ms Glynn’s testimony, in which she stated Mr McLullich did not attempt to fight back or escape as Harper “punched him over and over”, was “rubbish”. Ms Glynn claimed Harper then laid down on the ground and removed a tracking device from her car, and that Mr McLullich “scuffled” with him as he attempted to take it.
But Ms Payne said the acting inspector was in fact searching for Harper’s phone, which he allegedly used to film the pair having sex in the car park.
Ms Payne said: “You (Glynn) were shouting ‘get his phone, get his phone’. You were frantic to get Harper’s phone because you knew that footage could seriously damage your careers.
“While Harper was on the floor, Mr McLullich continued to hit and kick him. Then you (Glynn) jumped in. You kicked him to the side.”
Ms Glynn denied this, and maintained her earlier claims that she witnessed Harper hit Mr McLullich “at least twice” over the head with a torch. She said: “At the end of it he (Harper) had a tiny bit of blood on his forehead, but it wasn’t dripping down his face like Andy’s was… He had no injuries whatsoever.”
Harper, of Ailsa Road in Liscard, had been in a relationship with Ms Glynn for 10 years before their marriage became troubled in 2020. In October, Ms Glynn began frequently communicating with Mr McLullich, who was also married, on WhatsApp and Snapchat, exchanging more than 900 messages in just two days. Harper noticed his wife had become distant and confronted her, but she denied having an affair.
He stands accused of stalking Ms Glynn, causing serious alarm and distress, by bugging her car and allegedly following her to Bidston Hill, where the defence said she met with Mr McLullich. On December 15 2020 he took her mobile phone and downloaded her Snapchat history, revealing the dates and times she had been communicating with Mr McLullich.
He denied trapping Ms Glynn’s arm in the window of his Ford Mondeo as she reached into the vehicle, attempting to snatch back her phone. He also denied driving away while her arm was inside, causing her to fall into the road.
It was said that a GPS tracker which Ms Glynn found on her car on December 20 had been placed there by Harper some time ago “purely for security reasons”, and that he had a similar tracker on his own vehicle.
The court heard Ms Glynn only reported Harper’s behaviour after Harper himself had contacted Merseyside Police and claimed she and Mr McLullich had been having sex while on duty. On January 17 2021, she texted a friend that she was “fuming” and “livid” with Harper as he had reported her to the Professional Standards Department. When her friend asked her if she would report Harper for stalking, she replied: “I don’t want to but may have to if PSD come knocking.”
Ms Payne said: “The only reason you were saying he’s stalking you is because you knew PSD were going to get involved.”
She added: “You said you were harassed, that you were seriously alarmed by Harper’s behaviour, to deflect from the assault that you knew Mr McLullich inflicted on him. You were worried about professional standards getting involved. You got in first because you caused these injuries and it was an attempt to deflect from the truth.”
Ms Glynn denied this. She said she did not report Harper initially because she wanted to protect him, and because she was scared of him.
Harper, of Aisla Road, Liscard, denies stalking and unlawful wounding. The trial continues.
