A judge today said it is “staggering” there are no domestic abuse programme options for women offenders when sentencing a policewoman who attacked her female detective lover.
Asweina Gutty, 34, herself a detective constable with the Metropolitan Police, throttled her ex because she added too much salt to a romantic meal she prepared.
She screamed at: “Are you for real? I’ve spent hours making f***ing dinner and you’ve put f***ing salt in it.”
She and her Detective Constable girlfriend then ate in silence until Gutty attacked her in the bedroom as she collected belongings to return home to her husband and children.
“I found it quite staggering when told by the Probation Service there were no programmes at all for women who perpetrate domestic violence, only programmes for men,” said District Judge Nina Tempia.
“I consider this to be a very serious case,” she told Gutty at Westminster Magistrates Court.
“Not only was there a hand around your partner’s neck, but it resulted in her hitting her head on the wall and there was verbal abuse in the flat and in her car.
“This is particularly serious because it is an offence in a domestic environment. You were intimate partners, you were in a relationship.
“She also says she was experiencing controlling behaviour from you before the incident occurred.
“A lot of people may have an exemplary record in their work life, but different things are happening behind closed doors,” added the judge.
Gutty, of Elder Court, Saw Mill Way, Stoke Newington pleaded guilty to assaulting her ex at the address on May 27.
Both officers are attached to the borough of Tower Hamlets and met last September, while serving on Bethnal Green’s Community Safety Unit.
Gutty was made subject to a twelve-month community order, which includes 100 hours community service work and must pay £200 costs; £100 compensation to her ex and an £85 victim surcharge.
Prosecutor Mr. Edward Cohen told the court Gutty shouted: “Just walk away and do what you do best, go back to your nice house and f*** your husband,” as she prepared to escape the dinner row.
“The defendant then grabbed her around the throat and pushed her back, causing the victim 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.”
Mr. Cohen explained: “Both the defendant and the complainant are females in a same-sex relationship. The victim is married with children and living partly with her family.
“They met at work, where they are both serving police officers and the complainant came to Ms Gutty’s flat on the day of the assault.
“They had an argument because the complainant put some salt in her dinner.
“The atmosphere soured and they ate in silence and the complainant went into the bedroom to get her things.”
The court heard this angered Gutty, who shouted: “That’s it. Run away like you always do. You’re a coward.”
She told Gutty her behaviour was “not acceptable” and left with her keys in her hand.
“The defendant kept trying to pull the keyring from her hand and they had a struggle over the keys,” added Mr. Cohen.
“As she walked to the car park the complainant looked back and saw the defendant following her.
“The defendant said: ‘If you try and do me over I’ll come and find you.’
“Ten minutes later she started bombarding the complainant with texts, phone calls and WhatsApp messages.”
She reported Gutty to the police and made a statement. “She said during the relationship the defendant was very volatile and would go off over trivial things.”
Afterwards the victim said: “I cannot tell you how difficult this is. It is breaking my heart, but Asweina needs to know how much she hurt me.
“We had an extreme connection, we became inseparable, being with her was amazing. I loved her so much.
“When my family found out I lost them, but if being with Asweina meant losing my family then so be it.
“We were going to live together, have a family, have adventures, travel and live life to the full.
“I look at our photographs together and they remind me of great times, but there is a dark shadow.
“Asweina screamed at me because I couldn’t put stuff in a bag at the supermarket and because I left a used tissue near the bed.
“She did not want me to see my friends because of her jealousy.
“Her reactions were like a volcano, shouting at me and I’d apologise just to keep her calm.
“There were also insults like: ‘Whore, slag’ and: ‘You white people.’
“Asweina became angry because I put salt in the dinner, like I was a small child that had done something dangerous. I felt belittled.
“She followed this with anger and a rage in her eyes. Asweina became someone else and I feared for my safety.
“I saw then that this surely could not be love.
“Asweina destroyed us and our future and everything that we had fought so hard for.
“She made me feel weak, embarrassed and ashamed.
“I never in a million years expected to be the victim of domestic abuse. I always thought it was something that happened to other people, not people like me.
“I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster, taken to black places and feel hollow inside.
“I am grieving the loss of Asweina and feel lost without her. It breaks my heart that we are where we are now.”
“I loved her so much, but the monster within her is more dominant than the loving woman I fell in love with.”
Gutty’s lawyer Mr. Edmund Gritt told the court her behaviour is the result of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after being exposed to disturbing incidents in her police work.
“In the course of work training in March, last year something triggered a deterioration in her mental health. She started suffering anxiety and memory loss.”
Gutty dumped her partner of three years and started seeing Ms Etheridge.
“At the time of this offence and subsequently Ms Gutty herself was vulnerable in her personal history and diagnosis of complex PTSD.
“She was unwell for the duration of the relationship,” added the lawyer, revealing Gutty will begin an eight-week Group Trauma Therapy Programme later this month.
“She has also taken many sessions of private psychotherapy counselling and she apologises for what she has done.
“It was an offence committed in a matter of seconds and she came to her senses and let the complainant go.
“It was not a choke hold or a strangle hold. It was an attempt to stop her leaving and the bump on the head was unintentional.
“Although her occupation may be seen as an aggravating feature here the offence was committed in her private life, but professional disciplinary proceedings will follow to determine the question of her future.”
Gutty is currently on restricted part-time duties with the Met.
District Tempia added: “The controlling behaviour was a feature of the relationship, stopping the complainant seeing her friends.
“What concerns me is she is a serving police officer prone to anger outbursts and she is dealing with members of the public.”
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