PC ‘confronted’ fireman who had sex with his wife in a Morrison’s car park
A POLICEMAN is facing the sack after confronting his wife’s toyboy lover in an ‘aggressive’ manner.
PC Christopher Parnell went to the home of his love rival, retained fireman Robert Billings, 28, over gossip about an affair with his wife Kath, 49.
He is now accused of misconduct by being ‘aggressive, intimidating and confrontational’ to another person after Mr Billings, who confessed to the officer he had sex with Mrs Parnell in a supermarket car park, said he was scared by the PC’s manner. The officer had also been told that Mr Billings allegedly said to another woman he could have Mrs Parnell ‘buried on the moors’ for £1,500.
A hearing at North Yorkshire Police headquarters in Northallerton was told the affair began last summer. Mrs Parnell later confided in a friend at her local gym and it became local knowledge in Boroughbridge.
On August 11 Mr Billings went to the Parnells’ home and told his lover that public knowledge of the relationship had ‘ ruined his life’. He told the hearing: ‘I asked if Chris Parnell knew and she said, “no”, and asked me to cover it up by saying it was a lie and that she wanted attention. I said, “no, it’s come out now”. I wanted to tell my partner the truth.’
The next morning, Mr Billings, a builder who had carried out jobs for the couple, saw the policeman drive down his street at 5.50am. He said he felt ‘worried and scared’.
He later rang PC Parnell and left a voicemail saying he was sorry for what had happened and inviting him to speak privately.
He also told him in the message he felt intimidated by seeing him driving along his street. PC Par- nell turned up at Mr Billings’ home the following day appearing ‘angry’, said the firefighter.
A recording of their conversation was played to the panel and Mr Billings told the policeman he had sex with his wife in the car park of Morrisons supermarket.
He told him: ‘I will never do it again. It was in Morrisons car park. It was disgusting.’
The officer told the younger man he wasn’t going to do anything that would jeopardise his job but Mr Billings said: ‘I still didn’t like his mannerisms towards me. They were very aggressive. I was scared.’
He agreed to let PC Parnell look at messages on his phone and told the panel that despite reassurances he wasn’t going to ‘get aggressive’, he didn’t know if he would hit him.
The PC was said to have learnt about the affair from another woman in Harrogate, where he was based. He was also told Mr Billings had made an indirect threat against his wife. Mr Billings is alleged to have said: ‘Kath doesn’t know who she is dealing with. I’m from Leeds. I can pay £1,500 and have her buried on the moors.’
PC Parnell’s barrister Michael Rawlinson questioned Mr Billings about the reason for the visit. ‘Given that you left him a voice message saying you wanted to talk it’s hardly suspicious he went to your house. He had been married 16 years or thereabouts. He was very upset and embarrassed about what had happened and they were very understandable emotions.’
PC Parnell, who also faces charges relating to undeclared business interests, is accused of breaching standards of professional behaviour and conduct. The hearing continues.