A former senior police officer has been found guilty of a “supremely ill-judged” assault on a female co-worker.
Kevin Hird, a retired Aberdeen detective inspector with 30 years of service, was convicted of hitting 26-year-old Sarah Tortolano on the back of the head while working at Queen Street Police Station.
Hird was found guilty of assault following a two-day trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
His actions towards Ms Tortolano were described by Sheriff Andrew Miller as “enormously inappropriate”.
Ms Tortolano, who was working as a communications data investigator for the force, said she was coming back from the toilet on January 30 2020 when Hird hit her across the back of the head in a corridor.
She claimed the officer then raised his hands in the air and said “assault, assault”.
During cross-examination by fiscal depute Rebecca Thompson, Hird accepted that he had made an “error in judgement” and had lightly tapped Ms Tortolano to the back of the head.
The 53-year-old told the court that he was joking at the time and that the contact was done in a “jovial manner”.
However, during the trial, Ms Tortolano, now 28, said she had been hurt by the incident, which “shocked” and “really scared” her.
Under questioning by defence solicitor Paul Barnet, Hird told the court that he accepted the “distress” he had caused Ms Tortolano had “brought him here today”.
He added: “At no point did I intend to hurt or assault Sarah Tortolano – I did not intend that.
“It was an error in judgement.”
During cross-examination, Ms Thompson asked Hird what he was “hoping to achieve” by striking Ms Tortolano’s head.
“I wasn’t trying to achieve anything. It was literally just a tap to the back of the head,” he replied.
Ms Thompson put it to Hird that after the incident he became “quite concerned” about his behaviour and attempted to establish with colleagues whether Ms Tortolano was in a “huff” with him.
“You were trying to deflect it, weren’t you?” Ms Thompson asked.
“That simply wasn’t the case,” Hird replied.
‘A completely inappropriate way to behave’
Sheriff Miller told Hird that he accepted Ms Tortolano’s evidence and found him guilty of one charge of assault.
“This incident took place at work and it’s clear that there were significant disparities in terms of your age and seniority,” he said.
“It is difficult to understand how you could have regarded such an action as appropriate – it was not appropriate.
“It was supremely ill-judged and was a completely inappropriate way to behave towards this young woman.
“As well as being enormously inappropriate, it was also an assault.”
Sheriff Miller fined Hird, whose address was given on court papers as Queen Street Station, £520.
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