Ex-Merseyside police officer who filmed estranged wife having sex with lover in Screwfix carpark spared jail

A former police officer has been spared jail after being found guilty of stalking his estranged wife and her colleague in a Screwfix car park. Gavin Harper, 45, was described as “obsessed” in court and was convicted of stalking his wife, who was also a police officer.

Harper, from Liscard, Wirral, was found guilty of secretly bugging Stephanie Glynn's car, listening in on her conversations, and tracking her whereabouts, which led him to having a confrontation with the pair in the car park of a Screwfix in Birkenhead, Merseyside.

Despite facing a potential jail term, Judge David Potter opted for a suspended two-year sentence, considering the impact on Harper's elderly parents and his youngest son, who depended on him. Harper, who took care of his parents, would have left them in a vulnerable position had he been imprisoned. Additionally, his son would have had to abandon his university studies.

Harper and Glynn had been in a relationship for six years before marrying in 2018, both serving in Merseyside Police. However, Glynn left their home in December 2020 after developing a close relationship with Andrew McLullich, 42, who was her former supervisor. Harper defended his actions in court, stating he aimed to gather “undeniable proof” of the affair to alert the police, especially amid the Covid restrictions.

Judge Potter criticised Harper, accusing him of becoming obsessed with exposing Glynn's affair and ruining McLullich's career, disregarding Glynn's emotions and wellbeing. He said: "I am sure you became obsessed to the point of criminality in stalking Stephanie Glynn to provide evidence of her affair to weaponise that against her for having that affair, and you also became determined to destroy the career of Andrew McLullich.”

He added: "In that obsession the feelings, embarrassment and pain felt by Stephanie Glynn were collateral damage. You were more concerned about your own feelings and a raging sense of injustice."

In his defence, Harper's lawyer, Suzanne Payne, argued that his behaviour was “out of character” and influenced by the circumstances at the time. Glynn, now divorced, testified feeling persistently anxious due to Harper's stalking, and she constantly feared for her safety.

The court previously heard that Harper and Mr McLullich punched one another in the car park after he began filming them. She added that Ms Glynn had received a written warning over her conduct in the car park.

As part of his sentence, Harper received a seven-year restraining order preventing him from contacting or approaching Glynn and McLullich. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and complete 20 days of rehabilitation. The Crown offered no evidence over an allegation that Harper unlawfully wounded McLullich in the Screwfix car park after the jury failed to reach a verdict on that charge.