Top domestic violence cop accused of attacking lover

A DOMESTIC violence cop violently assaulted and threatened to kill his lover because he couldn't get over her previous affair with a high ranking officer, a court heart yesterday.

Det Sgt Adrian Ramdat, 40, first met Insp Amanda Lowe, who were both serving officers with the City of London police, during a detective training course in April last year.

Ramdat left his wife and two children and moved into Ms Lowe's home in Carew Close, Chafford Hundred, just two weeks later.

John Caudle, prosecution counsel, told the jury at Basildon Crown Court how their relationship became increasingly turbulent and eventually erupted in violence after Ms Lowe told Ramdat about her former affair with a detective chief superintendent.

Mr Caudle said: "She did not think it would be a problem because that relationship had ended before she started seeing Ramdat.

"Unfortunately it transpired that Ramdat was a possessive person who became obsessive with Amanda's previous relationship and he had a big issue with the fact he was a detective sergeant whereas her previous boyfriend had been a very high ranking officer."

In the months leading up to the first alleged attack on July 7 last year, Ramdat would frequently fly into a rage and storm out of their home following arguments over her ex-lover and at one point he made her delete his number from her phone and throw away belongings he had left behind.

Ramdat, who headed up the City of London Police's domestic violence unit before he was suspended following the allegations, also verbally abused her calling her a "slag", and claimed her ex-lover was making his life difficult a work.

But she would always forgive him after calmed down, returned and apologised for his behaviour.

Mr Caudle said: "Ramdat would call Amanda telling her she was a slag and she was disgusting and he kept pointing out to Amanda that he was the second married man she had been with."

He was also jealous that she would meet her colleague Det Insp Roy West for breakfast on occasions and accused her of being chatted up by all the men she worked with and said all they wanted to do was sleep with her.

At one point Ramdat cornered Ms Lowe and grabbed her by the throat before screaming in her face during another argument over her ex-partner.

Mr Caudle said: "She was so scared. She had never seen this level of violence in Ramdat before and she thought Ramdat was going to hit her. "

On the day of the first alleged attack Mr Caudle said another row broke out over her previous relationship and Ramdat became so angry he pushed her down on the bed before picking her up and throwing her back on to the bed and holding his hand over her mouth.

Mr Caudle said: "He pushed her on to a bed with his hand over her mouth so she was unable to breath.

"He would then relax his grip over her mouth so she could breath and then reapplied pressure so she could not breath.

"Then Ramdat realised she may have actually stopped breathing so he went and got her asthma inhaler and gave it to her."

For three hours Ramdat, during which he threatened to ruin her work life and hurt her mother and brother, he ignored her pleas to leave the flat.

Mr Caudle said: "He said he was used to being nasty to people and he knew what to do.

"He also told Amanda she should not underestimate him."

Despite her ordeal and the fact she was left with marks to her arm, Amanda took him back.

Ramdat is alleged to have "completely lost it" again on August 30 last year when he grabbed Ms Lowe by the throat and squeezed it as he pushed her up against the wall.

Mr Caudle said: "She thought she was going to die. She said she was more frightened than she had ever been in her life."

He eventually go but when she tried to escape he grabbed her by the throat again and pushed her back on to the bed.

At one stage during the alleged attack she fell to the ground and broke her ankle.

Ms Lowe, who secretly called her friend who alerted police, was then repeatedly threatened by Ramdat, who told her: "If you tell anyone I will come back and kill you. I will kill you."

The alleged victim was so terrified of Ramdat she didn't give his name to police straight away.

Ramdat was arrested the following day and when he was questioned about the first alleged attack he claimed she had assaulted him during a booze fuelled argument.

In relation to the second allegation he said he was so concerned about Ms Lowe's mental state after she barricaded herself in her bedroom, he forced his way into the room. And while he was in the room she fell and broke her ankle while assaulting him.

Ramdat denies one count of assault by beating and one count of assault.

The trial continues.