A MARRIED cop strangled his lover as he feared she was going to reveal their 10 year affair to his wife, a court was told.

Married PC Timothy Brehmer, 41, is accused of "angrily and deliberately" throttling nurse Claire Parry in a pub car park with such force he broke a bone in her neck.

Brehmer allegedly murdered Mrs Parry minutes after she managed to send a text saying “I'm cheating on you” from his phone to his wife, Salisbury Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Richard Smith QC said once the text had been sent to Martha Brehmer, who was at a family barbecue, he suffocated his lover in the crook of his forearm as “the calamity was upon him”.

Mrs Parry was left lying unconscious “part in and part out” of Brehmer's Citroen C1 and he allegedly took a Swiss army knife to his arm and cut himself, the jury was told.

Moments later he told a passer-by: “I'm never going to see my son again, I'm going to prison for a very long time."

Mr Smith told the court that an “untruthful” Brehmer gave conflicting explanations, first claiming Mrs Parry stabbed him and later claiming he did it himself and that he was “suicidal”.

Brehmer planned to “emotionally blackmail” Mrs Parry by taking a length of rope to their meeting and telling her he'd kill himself if she told his wife, the jury heard.

Mr Smith said the Brehmer family had a barbecue planned on the afternoon of May 9 but he left, telling his wife he was dropping into work and picking up steaks.

Instead, he met Mrs Parry at the Horns Inn pub in West Parley, Dorset just before 3pm – even going via work to cover his tracks.

Brehmer, who allegedly murdered Mrs Parry outside the pub, argues he was "simply robustly trying to get her out of the car".

Mr Smith told jurors that's an "improbable account is one of a man who can't admit what he did".

"He told police Claire took his phone from him and looked through it.

HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:

Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:

• Always keep your phone nearby.
• Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
• If you are in danger, call 999.
• Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
• Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
• If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
• Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.

If you are a ­victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support ­service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].

Women’s Aid provides a live chat service available. from 10am to noon.

You can also call the freephone 24-hour ­National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

"What we know is that while she was sat in the car a message was typed into his phone addressed to his wife Martha saying 'I'm cheating on you'.

"Claire put the message in his phone and it went to Martha, it was sent.

"Martha was at home, wondering where her husband was, when he was going to get back to the barbecue, and popping up on her phone was this message.

"She texted him and tried to phone him, trying to see what's going on. He didn't answer.

"The threat of telling Martha had been carried out and the calamity was upon him.

"What happened in that car once the text was sent is what this trial is all about because in the coming minutes after that text was delivered Claire lost her life."

Mrs Parry suffered a broken bone and cartilage in her neck, severe jawline bruising consistent with strangulation, and facial marks indicative of receiving blows.

"He took hold of her totally around her neck, probably in the crooks of his forearms, for such a period that he could compress the life out of her.

The prosecutor  said the “enormity” of what Brehmer done dawned on him after the attack and CCTV captured him walking to the pub car park's entrance and sitting down.

He later told police he had planned on killing himself.

Brehmer, who is originally from Canada, serves with Dorset Police and is a former traffic officer who was seconded to the National Police Air Service at the time of his arrest.

Mother of two Mrs Parry was a nurse practitioner at a medical centre in Bournemouth, Dorset, where she was from.

The trial continues. Brehmer denies murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

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