A Detective Sergeant from Warwickshire Police has pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman in Nantwich, Cheshire.

Paul Whitehurst appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday 24 June where he pleaded guilty to four counts of section 39 assault.

The 53-year-old has been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced on Monday 29 July.

The charges relate to four incidents which occurred between October and December 2023.

During one of the incidents Whitehurst pushed the victim across a caravan following a disagreement between the pair, on another occasion he verbally abused her and threw a pint over her after she spoke to another man at a pub.

In the final attack he pinned his victim to the floor following another disagreement.

Whitehurst, who was formerly based in the force's professional standards department and had served for 21 years, is no longer employed by the force.

He was suspended from duty and has been in custody since January.

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The BBC reports Whitehurst faces a separate charge of sexual assault, which will be heard at a later date.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Flavell from the department said: "I would like to pay tribute to the victim in this case who has shown great bravery in reporting her ordeal to police, supporting this investigation, and ensuring Whitehurst faced justice.

"The public place their trust in police officers to uphold the law and look out for the most vulnerable members of society.

"Unfortunately, offences such as this damage confidence in policing.

"We will continue to work with our communities to rebuild this confidence by embedding the values of respect, empathy, and public service in the force.

"I'm sure I speak for the vast majority of police officers and staff when I say we remain committed to tackling the behaviour of the small number of officers who bring our profession into disrepute."