In a dramatic trial at Liverpool Crown Court, former police officer Gavin Harper, 45, defended his actions as self-defense after allegedly punching Inspector Andrew McLullich, whom he caught having intercourse with his wife, policewoman Stephanie Glynn, 40, in a Screwfix car park in Birkenhead, Merseyside.
Harper, who had suspicions of his wife’s infidelity, had tracked her movements with a GPS device installed on her car. Upon discovering the pair engaged in sexual activity in the back seat, Harper claimed to have filmed the encounter on his phone before an altercation ensued.
During the confrontation, Harper asserted that McLullich initiated the violence by repeatedly striking him. In response, Harper admitted to retaliating with punches in self-defense, stating that he struck McLullich three to four times.
Former Police Officer (Credits: Manchester Evening News)
Harper, now facing charges of unlawfully wounding McLullich and stalking Glynn, maintained in court that his intention was not to engage in physical conflict but to gather irrefutable evidence of the affair.
He sought to document the encounter and present it to the authorities due to the professional implications of two serving officers engaging in an affair during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Harper’s testimony, McLullich allegedly initiated the violence by performing a “leg-sweep” maneuver. Amidst the struggle, Harper claimed that his wife, partially unclothed apart from her socks, urged him to retrieve his phone.
Harper recounted how the situation escalated when Glynn began kicking him, describing it as the most distressing aspect of the incident.
Former police officer’s wife meeting lover at Screwfix (Credits: Yahoo News Canada)
The prosecution argued that Glynn commenced a sexual relationship with McLullich after leaving Harper, leading to his obsessive behavior.
They contended that Harper’s inability to accept the breakdown of his marriage fueled his fixation, ultimately resulting in the violent confrontation in the Screwfix car park.
The court learned that Harper had placed a tracking device with a microphone in Glynn’s vehicle after growing suspicious, allowing him to eavesdrop on their conversations. Harper even confronted McLullich over the phone using Glynn’s device, indicating the extent of his preoccupation with the affair.
As the trial unfolds, the jury will weigh Harper’s claims of self-defense against the prosecution’s portrayal of his actions as part of a pattern of obsessive behavior stemming from marital discord.
