A former Metropolitan Police officer is suing Scotland Yard for £1million, claiming more than a decade investigating child abuse cases destroyed her mental health and left her unable to enter police buildings.
Kirstie Coy-Martin, 52, from Chichester in West Sussex, alleges the force failed in its duty of care after assigning her to child abuse and sexual offences units for 11 years.
The ex-officer, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder linked to her work, says prolonged exposure to abuse and death scenes left her so psychologically vulnerable that being told to attend a police station triggered panic attacks.
Ms Coy-Martin joined the Metropolitan Police in 1997 and served between 2005 and 2016 on teams investigating child abuse and sexual offences.
She was removed from children’s cases in 2016 and reassigned as a custody sergeant.
However, her legal team told Central London County Court that symptoms of PTSD persisted, with routine workplace experiences continuing to cause severe distress.
She was ultimately forced into ill-health retirement in 2023.
Among the incidents cited was receiving paperwork containing an image of a baby’s footprint, which her lawyers said caused significant psychological harm.
A former Metropolitan Police officer is suing Scotland Yard for £1million
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PAIn another instance, Ms Coy-Martin reportedly became distressed after being told she would need to attend a police building to collect CCTV footage while working in a home-based investigative role.
Her legal representatives argued that child abuse investigations carry an inherently high risk of exposure to “harrowing, distressing and shocking” material, environments and scenes.
They said senior officers should have recognised that assigning her to such work for an extended period placed her at a heightened risk of psychiatric injury.
The claim alleges her working conditions were unsafe and that serious psychological harm was “inherently foreseeable” given the nature and duration of her role.
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The ex-officer’s legal team told Central London County Court that symptoms of PTSD persisted
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GOOGLE MAPSHer lawyers further argued that police leadership “failed to take any, or any adequate, steps” to prevent the damage to her mental health.
Scotland Yard has said the claim will be “strongly disputed”.
At a pre-trial hearing last week, the Met’s legal team described it as “incredible” for a serving officer to suggest they should not be required to attend police stations.
They also argued Ms Coy-Martin did not raise concerns about stress or mental health during the years she spent investigating child abuse and sexual offences.
More than 17,700 police officers across Britain were signed off for mental health reasons in 2024/25
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GETTYThe force further contends she was not subjected to “excessive” pressure in her later roles.
A full trial is expected to take place at a later date if no settlement is reached.
Across Britain, more than 17,700 police officers were signed off for mental health reasons in 2024/25.
The figure represents a 22 per cent increase on the year before and 182 per cent higher than when the first survey was conducted 12 years ago.