Former Met Officer Files £1 Million Lawsuit Over PTSD From Child Abuse Investigations
A former Metropolitan Police officer is pursuing a £1 million compensation claim against the force, alleging that her mental health was destroyed by years of exposure to traumatic child abuse scenes, which left her with post-traumatic stress disorder and a debilitating phobia of police stations.
Career in Child Protection Leads to Psychological Injury
Kirstie Coy-Martin, 52, from Chichester in West Sussex, served with the Met from 1997. Between 2005 and 2016, she worked within child abuse and sexual offence investigation teams. Her legal representatives argue that this role inherently exposed her to extremely shocking and distressing incidents, requiring her to attend scenes of abuse against infants, children, and young people, some of which resulted in death.
Her lawyers contend that the harrowing, distressing, and shocking nature of this work environment created a foreseeable risk of psychiatric injury. They assert that the Met Police breached its duty of care by failing to take adequate steps to protect her from this known hazard during her tenure in the Child Abuse Investigation Team.
The Descent into PTSD and a Phobia of Police Stations
Ms Coy-Martin left the child abuse unit in 2016, later working as a custody sergeant and in a predominantly home-based role analysing CCTV footage. However, she claims the psychological damage was already profound. In 2020, after becoming distressed by a critical comment overheard on a video call, she was signed off work and subsequently diagnosed with PTSD. Her doctor attributed this condition directly to her experiences investigating abuse cases.
Upon a phased return to work, accommodations were made due to fears that attending police stations might trigger her condition. Despite this, she alleges that even minor work-related incidents caused significant relapses. Notably, she claims being sent job literature featuring a logo of a baby's foot acted as a potent trigger, exacerbating her symptoms and leading to further extended leave.
Her legal claim details that her condition deteriorated to the point where being instructed to attend a police building could induce a panic attack. She was ultimately retired on grounds of ill health in October 2023.
Metropolitan Police Forcefully Denies Allegations
The Metropolitan Police is robustly defending the claim, which it describes as strongly disputed. In its formal defence, the force denies any negligence in its duty of care towards Ms Coy-Martin.
Barrister Edwin Buckett, representing the Met, stated that it is incredible for a serving police officer to assert they should not be required to attend a police station. The defence argues that the working environments in question were safe, that Ms Coy-Martin was appropriately vetted for the roles, and that she did not complain of stress, anxiety, or an inability to cope during her time in the child abuse teams.
The Met's position is that her historical sickness record was primarily linked to physical health issues, including an epileptic seizure, other medical problems, a surfing injury, and an assault by a shoplifter, rather than psychiatric vulnerability. The force denies placing her under excessive stress or failing to act on warning signs, maintaining that her treatment was reasonable throughout.
Surfing as a 'Safe Space' and the Path to Litigation
Outside of her policing career, Ms Coy-Martin is a lifelong surfer. She has spoken of using her time on the board as a crucial safe space for her mental wellbeing, even teaching her therapy dog, Scooter, to surf alongside her.
The legal case reached Central London County Court last week for a preliminary hearing to manage evidence. A full trial is scheduled for a future date, pending any potential out-of-court settlement between the parties. This lawsuit highlights ongoing debates about institutional responsibility for the psychological welfare of frontline personnel exposed to extreme trauma.
