An abusive police officer who subject his partner to a catalogue of assaults, controlling behaviour and humiliation during a three-year relationship is behind bars awaiting sentence.

Thomas Gair, who at one stage was said to have pushed his pregnant partner down the stairs as he did not want the child she was carrying, has been found guilty of five of seven charges he faced arising from the abusive relationship with the woman, also a serving police officer.

During a week-long trial, a jury at Durham Crown Court heard the Cleveland officer, who has now been dismissed from the force, rendered his partner unconscious, requiring hospital treatment, having shoved her down several stairs after earlier telling her he wanted her to have an abortion.

The 23-year-old was said to have bitten her on the arm and on another occasion, after picking her up from a night out, knocked her the ground while reversing on their drive way, having pushed her out of the car.

Read more: Police officer Thomas Gair denies pushing pregnant partner downstairs

Other elements of his abusive behaviour included isolating her from friends, mocking her over her weight, and forcing her to eat until she was sick.

His course of behaviour covered a period of their relationship from February 2019 to January 2022, during which both joined Cleveland Police as newly-recruited constables.

Other trainees began to notice she was in fear of Gair, due to his treatment, and even after she left him, he continued to monitor who was visiting her, by observing the CCTV, having changed the password so she had no access to the device.

Gair, from Middlesbrough, denied the allegations, and while conceding he could be, “moody, grumpy, awkward and hard work”, claimed he did not assault or mistreat his partner.

He pleaded not guilty to charges of controlling or coercive behaviour within an intimate or family relationship, four counts of assault causing her actual bodily harm, one of assault by beating and one of stalking causing serious alarm and distress.

The jury retired to consider its verdicts on Friday afternoon, but after two hours and 11 minutes’ deliberation were sent home for the week to continue their deliberation on Monday (March 27).

Judge Jo Kidd sent them out for a further two hours and four minutes when the case resumed, urging them to try to reach unanimous verdicts.

But at midday she gave jurors a direction that if they were unable to reach unanimous verdicts they could pass majority verdicts, of either 11 - 1, or 10 - 2.

Prior to the lunch adjournment, the court re-assembled and the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on three of the counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, relating to knocking the victim to the ground with the car, pushing her down the stairs and biting her arm.

It also delivered majority guilty verdicts, of 10 - 2, on the controlling and coercive behaviour, plus the stalking charges.

Not guilty verdicts were returned for one remaining count of assault causing actual bodily harm, which alleged the grabbing of her neck, and to the single charge of assault by beating, an alleged push in the hallway.

Read more: Cleveland policeman Thomas Gair denies abuse of pregnant partner

Following the verdicts, Judge Kidd told stand-in defence counsel, Rachel Webster: “There is an inevitability about a custodial sentence of some significant length in this case and I indicated I would remand him in custody pending sentence.”

Mrs Webster said on that basis she would not make any representations about bail.

As Gair was being handcuffed by custody officers prior to being taken to the cells, Judge Kidd told the defendant: “You will be remanded in custody until sentence here on April 24.”

Judge Kidd said she would want to hear the impact statement of the victim prior to sentencing the defendant on that day.

Ian West, prosecuting, said the statement is already prepared and the victim has indicated she would like to read it to the sentencing hearing, herself.

Addressing the victim and the entourage of friends and family who supported her during the trial, all of whom were sitting in the public gallery, Judge Kidd said: “Thanks for the dignity that has been shown during the course of the case.”

Following the hearing, Acting Superintendent John Bonner, Acting Head of Cleveland Police Directorate of Standards and Ethics, said: “Gair was a student officer with Cleveland Police, studying at the force training school when reports were made that he was perpetrating domestic abuse against his partner.

“Those reports came from the victim and other student officers, who were able to identify the signs of domestic abuse from the learning they received prior to moving on to the independent patrol phase of their training.

“The reporting made by those officers is a testament of their morals in doing the right thing, abiding by the Code of Ethics.

"It enabled the Specialist Domestic Abuse Unit to take immediate and robust action in arresting Mr Gair within 24 hours of the report and to lead on the complex criminal investigation into Gair’s behaviour.

“During the investigation Cleveland Police applied, and were successful, in obtaining a Stalking Protection Order against Mr Gair from the crown court.

“The swift arrest of Mr Gair and the Stalking Prevention Order ensured the Force was able to safeguard the victim from any further offending.

“The Directorate of Standards and Ethics revoked Mr Gair’s vetting and applied for him to be discharged from Cleveland Police.

“Thomas Gair was discharged on March 17, 2023, having never been in contact with the public during his short time in the police service.

“I am utterly committed to adopting the learning and recommendations found within the HMICFRS Investigation of Vetting, Misconduct, and Misogyny in the Police Service, The Baroness Casey Report and Centre of Women’s Justice Super Complaint.

“In addition to recommendations on how police forces should investigate allegations of police perpetrated domestic abuse, the reports place significant emphasis on all police forces to utilise the vetting regime and Regulation 13 (discharge of student officers).

Read next:

Get more from The Northern Echo and read more stories like this by subscribing to a digital subscription from only £1.25 a week here. Click here

“In doing so, we can root out police officers who are not fit to be in the service.

“This should be evident in our approach in removing Mr Gair from the police service as swiftly and lawfully as possible.

“The force will now pursue the gross misconduct element of the investigation into the former officer, seeking to bar him from the police service.”