A “volatile” Metropolitan Police officer’s love affair with a fellow female detective ended when she attacked her in a rage for putting salt on a meal, a court was told.
Detective Constable Asweina Gutty, 34, became irate when she saw her married lover, Detective Constable Sharon Etheridge, seasoning the food she had prepared.
After ending the meal in silence, Gutty grabbed Ms Etheridge by the throat and pushed her up against a wall, causing her to bang her head.
The victim, whose marriage ended when her affair with Gutty was revealed, said it was “breaking my heart” to report her former lover for domestic violence.
She likened Gutty’s angry outbursts to a volcano erupting, and said she had “rage in her eyes” as she attacked her on May 27.
“I loved her so much, but the monster within her is more dominant than the loving woman I fell in love with,” Ms Etheridge added.
Westminster magistrates’ court was told the two women fell in love while working in the Community Safety Unit in Bethnal Green, despite Ms Etheridge having a husband and children.
Prosecutor Edward Cohen said Gutty had prepared a meal at her flat in Stoke Newington, but was angered when Ms Etheridge added salt to the dish.
“Are you for real?” she shouted. “I’ve spent hours making f***ing dinner and you’ve put f***ing salt in it.”
When Ms Etheridge went to leave at the end of the meal, Gutty called her a “coward”, adding: “Just walk away and do what you do best, go back to your nice house and f*** your husband.”
The prosecutor continued: “The defendant then grabbed her around the throat and pushed her back, causing Ms Etheridge to bang her head against the wall. She tried to grab the defendant’s wrist and pull it away and was in a state of shock and her head banged against the wall for a second time.”
Gutty continued to bombard her lover with texts, calls and WhatsApp messages after she left, sparking a report to the police, the court was told.
Ms Etheridge told officers: “We had an extreme connection, we became inseparable, being with her was amazing. I loved her so much... She did not want me to see my friends because of her jealousy. Her reactions were like a volcano.”
Gutty admitted assaulting her former lover, and blamed the attack on post-traumatic stress disorder from her work. She is currently on restricted part-time duties.
District Judge Nina Tempia adjourned sentencing until September 21, adding: “What concerns me is she is a serving officer prone to anger outbursts.”
