Former police officer jailed for manslaughter Brehmer jailed
A former Dorset Police officer who killed a woman in the car park of the Horns Inn at West Parley has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for manslaughter. Timothy Brehmer, aged 41, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on 28 October. He was found not guilty of a charge of murder following a trial at the same court, having previously entered a guilty plea
to manslaughter. Dorset Police was called to the car park of the Horns Inn in Christchurch Road on 9 May following a report from the ambulance service of two people requiring medical assistance. Mrs Parry – who was known to the defendant and had arranged to meet him at the car park – was taken to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital for medical treatment. Very sadly, she died in hospital on the morning of 10 May. A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was a brain injury caused by compression of her neck. Brehmer – who was a serving police constable with Dorset Police seconded to the National Police Air Service (NPAS) at the time of the incident – was arrested
at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and taken to Poole Hospital for treatment to injuries to his arms, which were believed to be selfinflicted. He was later released from hospital and following the death of Mrs Parry, was further arrested on suspicion of murder and charged. During the trial, Brehmer admitted that his unlawful actions had caused the death of Mrs Parry. However, he stated that he did not intend to kill or seriously harm her at the time her injuries were inflicted. In his sentencing remarks, judge Mr Justice Jacobs said that – having considered all the evidence in the case – he was sentencing Brehmer on the basis that he lost his selfcontrol following Mrs Parry sending a text message to his wife revealing their affair, rather than on the basis that he had not intended to kill or seriously harm his victim. Brehmer was not on duty at the time of the incident. He was dismissed from the Force following a misconduct hearing in September. Detective Chief Inspector
Claire Parry
Richard Dixey, of the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), said, “Timothy Brehmer’s criminal actions on Saturday 9 May 2020 have had a devastating impact on a number of people, particularly the family of Claire Parry and her loved ones. “Our thoughts remain with all those affected and I would again like to thank Claire’s family for their support throughout the investigation and trial process. I can only hope that the conclusion of the court proceedings is of some comfort to them. “I would also like to again thank all those involved for the professional manner in which this case was investigated and brought to court.”
Helpfulness leads to success
By Edward Holmes, Meesons Solicitors Following the latest announcement by the government, my wife and I made a quick dash to the Isle of Wight to see my in-laws before lockdown. Over the years we have spent many hours on the ferry, usually with our children in tow causing mayhem. I have memories of a toddler in one arm, pushchair in the other running down the gangplank. Now the children are allegedly adults it was just my wife and I and Charlie our dog. We arrived at the ferry in good time so what could possibly go wrong? The first challenge was to master the ticket machine and as I like Mensa tests this one was okay and I purchased a ticket. I returned the car and put it on the dashboard only for it to slip forward out of view. Ten minutes later and we still hadn’t retrieved it. A gentleman who parked nearby suggested that we put the fan on and the ticket would be blown out. Success. Time was tight now so we rushed into the ticket office only to find that we had to deal with the self-service ticket machine. This machine wouldn’t behave naturally – it was the machine’s fault – not ours. The ferryman came to our rescue and tickets were obtained. Success When we arrived on the Isle we decided to walk to the pub. It was further and muddier than we realised. We were rescued by my mother-in-law although the journey thereafter was a little scary, but that’s another story, and the pub let us in with muddy dog, and mother-in-law. Success. During these tough times I was just so pleased that people were happy to help and were friendly. We at Meesons remain ready to help. For all you professional legal needs please do not hesitate to contact us.
10 |
VIEWPOINT November 2020
Follow VIEWPOINT MAGAZINE on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/viewpointmagazinedorset