A Met Police officer who gaslighted his girlfriend by punching walls and stopping her from talking to her closest friends has been spared jail.
PC Mathew Cooper, 24, was prone to fits of rage, self-harming with a knife and hitting himself in the head.
He made his partner put her father on loudspeaker while they were having a private conversation so he could answer questions on her behalf.
Cooper appeared in the dock wearing a blue suit, blue shirt and a striped tie and began weeping uncontrollably as he was handed a suspended prison sentence.
Prosecutor Greg Unwin said Cooper applied to become a police officer after his partner joined the Met and he was still training at the time of the offences.
She has since left the force and emigrated to Australia, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
"This was a relationship between Mr Cooper and the complainant which started in June 2019 and lasted 18 months,' said Mr Unwin.
"They moved in together in August 2019 and arguments started. Cooper would punch the wall and throw other items in the flat, he also threatened to kill himself and self-harmed with a knife causing superficial injuries.
"He was prone to fits of rage, including punching himself in the head.
"He prevented the complainant from seeing and contacting her friends, including one of her oldest friends, and instructed her on what to do and how to behave.
"The complainant's family said he was rude and abrupt and issued her orders.
"Cooper would use find my friends in order to see where she was, if she wasn't where he expected her to be he would call many times until she answered," said Mr Unwin
The woman told her father Cooper would lose his temper at anything he disagreed with.
Cooper also accused her of cheating on him and plotting against him with her father, the court heard.
"He threatened to kill himself if she made him leave [their home]. She felt he would act on that so let him stay.
"Cooper also became angry when she wouldn't agree to marry him," Mr Unwin told the court.
The complainant was described by family and friends as "bubbly and confident" before becoming "withdrawn and quieter" and losing 10 kilos in weight during her relationship with Cooper.
She has since left the police force over fears she would bump into Cooper at work, and said in a statement read to the court: "I don't feel safe in any of the places I know, because there is a chance I may see him; I don't want this to affect my career. This has affected my current relationships; I feel I have to ask to do anything."
The complainant has since emigrated to Australia, the court heard.
Ciju Puthupally, defending, told the court: "I've dealt with Mr Cooper from the beginning of these proceedings and it's right to say he really has undergone a very harsh and unflattering process of self-discovery.
"One thing he was desperate to resist... is the suggestion that there was something 'the matter with him'....it was a suggestion he was deeply resistant too and deeply embarrassed, he just did not want to be labelled like that.
"He really has had to come face to face with his issues and his behaviour.
"He does your honour regret what happened undoubtedly", Mr Puthupally said.
The judge, Mr Recorder Matthew Hodson, told Cooper: "You pleaded guilty one count of coercive and controlling behaviour.
"We've heard the detail of what the involved but in summary you manipulated and controlled the victim, intimidating her, controlling where she could go and who she could see all under threat you would seriously harm yourself if she didn't do what you said.
"In this manner you isolated her form her friends and her family who stood up for her, so you strengthened your control even further.
"This behaviour left the victim quiet and withdrawn in sharp contrast to her usual bubbly and confident self.
'She was anxious and stressed and losing sleep and she lost considerable weight it affected her ability to form new relationships most strikingly... she left her job with the police out of fear she may encounter you and was alarmed at the prospect of encountering you on public transport.
"It's difficult to think of a much greater effect on a person life than giving up the job they want to do and moving abroad.
"I note you have lost the job you were training to do, and you've faced challenges in obtaining a new one.
"I am narrowly persuaded that I should suspend this sentence, I therefore impose a seven-month custodial sentence suspended for a period of two years."
Cooper had denied a second count of controlling and coercive behaviour with violence and the charge was ordered to lie in the court file.
Detective Chief Superintendent Owain Richards, who is in charge of policing for the Central West area, said: "I commend the strength and courage the victim showed in reporting this officer's behaviour and in supporting the investigation.
"I would urge anyone who is the victim of domestic abuse, whether physical or psychological, to report their experiences to the police.
'We have specially trained officers who will take their concerns seriously and support them throughout the judicial process.
"PC Cooper was off duty when these offences happened, but that does not change the seriousness of his actions.
"Serving as a Met officer is a privilege, and we expect our officers to behave to the highest standards in their professional and private lives.'
Cooper, of, Worthing, West Sussex, admitted engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour without violence between June 1, 2019 and December 9, 2020. He had denied a second count of controlling and coercive behaviour with violence and that charge was ordered to lie in the court file.
Cooper was sentenced to seven months in prison suspended for two years.
He will be subject to 30 days of accredited programme requirement, 25 days rehabilitation and 60 hours of unpaid work.
