Police Detective Exploits Systems to Target Single Mother in Coercive Relationship
A former police detective has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after admitting to using police databases to target a single mother, fabricating serious illnesses and traumatic past events to manipulate and control her in a coercive relationship. Michael Harvey, 65, exploited his position within Lancashire Constabulary to deceive Catherine Dobson, 54, leading to significant psychological harm.
Chance Encounter or Calculated Stalking?
Catherine Dobson first encountered Michael Harvey in May 2012 during a routine shopping trip at an Asda supermarket. After a brief compliment about her smile, she thought little of the interaction until they met again five months later in the same car park. Harvey, presenting himself as a charming and single police detective, requested her phone number, claiming he regretted not asking her out previously. "I thought, 'What's the harm?' He was a police officer, I knew he would have been DBS checked, so I thought I would be safe," Catherine recalled.
However, this second meeting was no coincidence. Unbeknownst to Catherine, after initially spotting her in the supermarket aisles, Harvey had watched her walk to her car and recorded her registration plate. Later that day, while working in the Sexual Offenders' Management Unit of Lancashire Constabulary, he accessed the police national computer to check if there was a male named driver on her insurance, effectively investigating her relationship status to target her for his predatory behaviour.
A Web of Deception and Control
Harvey spun an elaborate web of lies to inveigle his way into Catherine's life. He falsely claimed to be separated from his wife, teetotal, undergoing tests for a rare cancer, suffering from post-traumatic stress from rescuing tsunami victims, and even asserted he had been sexually abused as a child. "He lied about everything - he is a master manipulator," Catherine stated. "At times he was very charming, kind, considerate. Other times, he was totally and utterly a monster. He has a Jekyll and Hyde character."
The relationship, which lasted approximately four years, descended into coercive control. Harvey threatened suicide repeatedly, manipulated Catherine financially by claiming he had no money despite receiving 90% of his wage while off sick, and isolated her from her children. "The control he had over me was so damaging, I didn't know what was up and what was down. It removed my ability to make rational decisions and to consent," she explained.
Systemic Failures and Previous Complaints
Shockingly, it emerged during the court case that Harvey had previously been reported for similar misconduct. In July 2011, approximately ten months before meeting Catherine, another woman had reported him for abusing his police role. Using an almost identical method, he told her he was single, persuaded her to discuss her case over a drink, obtained her personal details, and moved into her home, fabricating health issues when she attempted to end the relationship. He was also the subject of a harassment complaint at work in 2014.
Catherine expressed fury that Lancashire Police failed to discipline or dismiss Harvey despite these prior allegations, allowing him to retire with a full pension in 2018. "He could have been stopped," she asserted. "The police knew he had done it to someone else and that he had looked me up on the police computer, but he kept his job. If they had taken him off that unit in 2011 – or sacked him - I would never have met him."
Legal Proceedings and Aftermath
At Preston Crown Court, Harvey pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour and misuse of police systems. Judge Andrew Jeffries KC told him he had "tricked" Catherine into the relationship from the outset and "toyed" with her emotions, causing "significant psychological harm and very serious distress." Although Harvey admitted to faking cancer, childhood abuse, and exaggerating mental health problems, he denied rape and was cleared by a jury following a separate trial in November, leaving Catherine "devastated."
Catherine, who has waived her legal right to anonymity, now aims to raise awareness about the insidious nature of such predators. "Women need to know that these men don't come with horns," she warned. "They look like reasonable, decent fellas and they treat you kindly in the early days, it's insidious what they do." Lancashire Police confirmed their professional standards department is investigating the case but declined further comment.
