Police arrested detective who violently attacked girlfriend. Pic: Man Vyi
A Tower Hamlets detective, who violently attacked her girlfriend for putting salt on the food she had made for her, has been discharged from the Metropolitan Police.
Detective Constable Asweina Gutty, 34, who was part of Bethnal Green’s Community Safety Unit, was dismissed without notice last Friday following an internal hearing.
Gutty was put on restricted duties after her conviction for assault in September, but was formally dismissed on November 23 after facing a charge of discreditable conduct.
She was convicted of attacking her girlfriend, who is also a police officer, Constable Sharon Etheridge, at her home in Stoke Newington after Etheridge put salt on a meal that Gutty had prepared for her.
Etheridge described Gutty as a “very volatile” person who would frequently “go off over trivial things.” She also said: “I loved her so much, but the monster within her became more dominant than the woman I fell in love with.”
The assault took place in May, while both officers were off duty and Gutty appeared in court in July. Prosecutor Edward Cohen told the court: “The defendant grabbed her around the throat, causing Ms Etheridge to bang her head against the wall. Etheridge tried to grab Gutty’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 pleaded guilty to assaulting her partner but blamed the attack on post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of her job. In September, she was sentenced at the Central London Magistrates Court to a twelve-month community order, as well as being ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Having considered DC Gutty’s mitigation, her work record and several character references during the hearing, her actions were deemed to constitute gross misconduct and dismissal was the sanction decided by the panel.”
Gutty will now be on a “barred list”, preventing future employment within law enforcement and other associated organisations.
