Key Points
- Former North Wales Police detective Andrew Fearon has dropped his £343,251 case involving damages and loss of earnings against the force.
- His claims have arisen from how the force responded to a grievance which began when Fearon’s fiancée Rebecca Hutt informed him of her affair with colleague Shaun Parry in May 2017.
- According to Fearon, Detective Superintendent Steve Williams, who was in charge of the grievance case, had developed a relationship with Hutt, thus interfering in the proceedings.
- However, the judge, Sarah O’Brien, found no grounds for corruption, conspiracy, cover-up, favoritism, or bad faith in relation to the North Wales Police.
- Though the court accepted that Fearon suffered a significant psychiatric injury that left him severely distressed, it did not constitute negligence on behalf of the police force.
- Williams testified through some texts which showed that his first date with Hutt was in 2020, that is three years after the grievance investigation period; he and Hutt married thereafter.
- However, the court ruled that the only breach involved in this case is the failure of the force to inform Fearon of his revocation of security fob.
Wales Police (Wales Times) October 13, 2026 – A former North uk/police/">Wales Police detective has failed in his attempt to obtain £343,251 from the force over its handling of a complaint connected to his former fiancée’s affair with a colleague. As reported by BBC News, Judge Sarah O’Brien dismissed Andrew Fearon’s claim at Liverpool Civil Court, ruling that he had not proved on the balance of probabilities that the force breached its duty of care towards him.
Fearon had sued North Wales Police for £200,000 in damages for personal injury and £144,000 for loss of earnings, according to reporting by The Sun. He alleged that the force’s handling of his grievance caused him complex post-traumatic stress disorder, contributed to a breakdown and led to his eventual ill-health retirement.
In her written judgment, Judge O’Brien accepted that Fearon suffered serious psychiatric injury and experienced the events as profoundly distressing. However, she concluded that a genuine belief of unfair treatment did not establish negligence, BBC News reported.
Why Did Andrew Fearon Sue North Wales Police?
Fearon and Rebecca Hutt were both North Wales Police officers and had been due to marry in September 2017 after buying a house together. In May 2017, Hutt told Fearon that she was having an affair with another officer, Shaun Parry, according to the judgment summarised by BBC News.
The Sun reported that Fearon made a formal complaint alleging gross misconduct because the relationship was said to have taken place on police premises. Documents lodged at the High Court in Liverpool alleged that Hutt and Parry began their relationship at St Asaph police station, while Fearon was working about 40 miles away at Menai Bridge.
After a period of sick leave connected with stress-related problems and depression, Fearon lodged a grievance. North Wales Police concluded that there was no case to answer, BBC News reported.
What Did Fearon Allege About the Investigation?
Fearon alleged that Detective Superintendent Steve Williams, the senior officer who investigated the grievance, was already in a personal relationship with Hutt and had used his rank to influence the outcome in her favour. The Sun reported that Fearon believed the process had been “rigged” against him.
The court heard that Williams later began a relationship with Hutt in 2020 and that the two have since married. BBC News reported that Judge O’Brien found no evidence that the relationship began before or during the investigation.
Williams provided text messages to demonstrate that his first date with Hutt was in 2020, The Sun reported. The judge found that he had acted entirely professionally by declaring his relationship with Hutt to North Wales Police as soon as they got together, as required of him as a senior officer.
What Did Judge Sarah O’Brien Say?
Judge O’Brien said:
“I find no evidence of corruption, conspiracy, cover up or favouritism towards Rebecca Hutt.”
She added:
“I find no evidence that those involved were acting in bad faith.”
She further stated:
“I accept that [Fearon] suffered serious psychiatric injury and that he experienced the events in question as profoundly distressing.”
She also accepted that he genuinely believed he had been treated unfairly, but said:
“However, genuine belief does not establish negligence.”
The judge found that North Wales Police had not breached its duty of care, except for failing to inform Fearon that his fob had been revoked. She ruled that this isolated failure did not establish liability for the damages and loss of earnings claimed.
How Did North Wales Police Respond?
A North Wales Police spokesperson said:
“North Wales Police is grateful for the care and skill with which Her Honour Judge O’Brien tried this case and arrived at such a detailed judgment.”
The force added:
“Allegations of inappropriate behaviour were not upheld and the claimant’s claim for damages and costs were dismissed.”
The Rhyl Journal and Chester Standard also reported that Fearon’s claim was dismissed following a Liverpool County Court hearing, with the force confirming that allegations of inappropriate behaviour had not been upheld.
What Happened to the Officers Involved?
The Sun reported that Parry was not disciplined over the alleged affair but was transferred to another station. It further reported that he was later dismissed in 2019 over separate allegations of inappropriate behaviour with another female colleague.
Hutt was allowed to remain in her post after the grievance investigation found no further action should be taken, according to The Sun. The reporting did not state that Hutt faced any adverse finding arising from the original complaint.
Williams, who investigated the grievance, was later found to have begun a relationship with Hutt in 2020. The judge accepted that he disclosed that relationship to the force when it began.
Background of the Development
The dispute began in 2017, when Fearon and Hutt were engaged and both serving as North Wales Police officers. Their planned September 2017 wedding did not proceed after Hutt disclosed her affair with Parry, leading Fearon to take sick leave and later submit a grievance.
Fearon subsequently pursued civil action against North Wales Police, claiming that the investigation and its aftermath had caused him complex PTSD and financial loss. Earlier BBC reporting in July 2026 said he was seeking £343,251 in damages and loss of earnings, and that the court heard he had developed complex PTSD which he attributed to “institutional trauma”.
The final judgment separated two issues: the court accepted the seriousness of Fearon’s psychiatric injury, but found insufficient evidence that North Wales Police’s conduct caused it through a breach of its duty of care.
Prediction: How This Affects Police Officers and Complaints
For current and former police officers, the ruling is likely to reinforce the importance of clear evidence when alleging that an internal investigation was compromised. The decision indicates that a later personal relationship between an investigator and a person connected to a complaint may not, by itself, prove that the earlier process was unfair or unlawful.
For forces, the case may encourage continued documentation of conflict-of-interest disclosures, investigation timelines and communications with complainants. The judgment specifically noted Williams’s prompt declaration of his relationship with Hutt, while also identifying a separate administrative failure over Fearon’s revoked fob.
For members of the public, the outcome may affect expectations about compensation claims against police forces. It suggests that courts may distinguish between accepting that a complainant suffered genuine harm and finding that a force legally caused that harm through negligence.
