Fury of attacked policewoman as TV’s Ant is made the Chief Cadet
TV SPECIAL Forces star Ant Middleton’s appointment as Chief Cadet of the Royal Marines’ Volunteer Cadet Corps has been condemned by a female police officer he assaulted outside an Essex nightclub.
Friends of PC Katherine Alison told The Mail on Sunday that she remains traumatised by the incident in Chelmsford in 2013 that led to the ex-Special Boat Service trooper receiving a 14-month prison sentence, of which he served four months behind bars.
At the time, the constable thought Middleton had killed her patrol partner, PC
Christopher Brooksbank when he body-slammed him on to a pavement. Fearing he would also beat her up, PC Alison sprayed Middleton with CS gas.
The Mail on Sunday has learned how PC Alison suffered whiplash injuries as a result of the incident and was withdrawn from frontline police duties.
She also subsequently transferred away from Essex Police.
She now serves with the neighbouring Bedfordshire constabulary but still gets anxious patrolling at night in town centres, especially when confronted by drunken men. In a bid to achieve closure, she has asked to meet Middleton.
She told a friend: ‘Even today, I’m anxious doing patrols at night. He’s no role model. I wanted to meet him and talk it through but heard nothing back.’
Middleton, 39, announced his new position with the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps last week and pledged to pass on his ‘knowledge, mindset and experience’ to cadets aged nine to 17.
The MoS has learned that while other adult cadet volunteers must undergo a strict vetting process, including declaring all criminal convictions, the Ministry of Defence spared Middleton these obligations.
Last night, a senior MoD official said it was not necessary to vet Middleton because he would not be training cadets.
In 2015, Middleton failed to declare he had been jailed while being vetted by TV producers for the hit reality show SAS: Who Dares Wins. Now in its fifth series, the show will be watched by millions of Channel 4 viewers tonight.
Middleton was ‘uncontactable’ last night, his spokesperson said. PC Alison declined to comment to The Mail on Sunday.