The police officer met a fellow officer while her husband
was away on a business trip to London
A police
officer killed herself after writing a text to her lover thanking him for a
''wonderful'' date but accidentally sent it to her husband, an inquest heard.
PC Gail
Crocker, 46, met a fellow officer while her husband Peter, 49, was on a
business trip in London.
Later that
evening the mum-of-two typed a message on her mobile saying: "Thank you
for a wonderful evening. Only wish we could do this more often".
However the
mother-of-two sent the message to her husband of 30 years by mistake, an
inquest, in Truro, Cornwall was told.
He came home
and she admitted to having a ''one off'' rendezvous with a male colleague but
insisted it had never happened before
The couple
rowed and the next day PC Croker was found dead on June 15.
Friends spotted
her white Audi TT and Mr Crocker opened the car to find his wife's body beside
an empty bottle of pills and suicide notes.
Mr Crocker, of
St Stephen, Cornwall, told the inquest his wife had begged him for forgiveness
when he got back from his trip.
He told the
inquest: "I got out [of the car] and she was in floods of tears saying she
was sorry. She told me it was a one-off and she had never done it before.
"She was
my life. We had plans. Nothing was worth her taking her life. I'm lost without
her."
PC Crocker sent
the text on June 12 and her husband returned on June 13 and they rowed again
the following morning, June 14.
She called him
at work and Mr Crocker hurled his phone onto the floor and had to go to the
supermarket to buy a replacement.
He arrived home
later that day to find his wife had vanished and had called in sick to work.
Mr Crocker told
the hearing: "She went on and on again. My work phone rang. I was so angry
I slammed it into the ground.
"I got
home and Gail was not there and neither was her car. I didn't sleep at all. I
didn't hear from Gail during the night."
Mr Crocker
contacted her sergeant at Bodmin Police Station who told him she had called in
sick for her shift that afternoon.
The following
morning David Rendell and his wife, who were close friends with the Croakers,
spotted Gail's car in the car park at Lanjeth, a nearby village.
They had
planned to take their dog on a walk but after discovering the vehicle Mr
Rendell called Mr Crocker, who met them at the car park.
Mrs Crocker
first trained as a PCSO in Truro in 2003 and became a police constable in 2007.
She met her husband in Plymouth, Devon, when she was aged 15 and he was 17.
Mr Crocker
added in his statement: "She was a people person. She would speak to
anyone about anything. Being a PCSO was her perfect job."
The unnamed
colleague who Mrs Crocker spent the evening with was not required to give
evidence or named at the inquest.
Returning a
verdict of suicide, Coroner for Cornwall Emma Carlyon told the hearing she was
satisfied that Mrs Crocker's death resulted from a deliberate act to take her
own life.
At the time of
her death colleagues paid tribute to the "excellent" police officer
who was based in Truro and later Bodmin.
Sector
inspector Robin Hogg said: "I have known Gail for several years and will
always remember her as an excellent officer with a bright, happy and positive
disposition.
"Her work
and work ethics were of the highest standard and I am particularly proud of the
way she performed her duty.
"She got
the balance of law enforcement and community support spot on, maybe because of
her initial work as a PCSO based at Truro.
"Her work
with the public was always completed with a smile and she has had a very
positive influence on the people she dealt with.
"Gail
leaves a husband and two daughters who miss her deeply and are very proud of
the role she carried out in the community.
"Her loss
leaves a huge hole in the police family and this will be felt by all who knew
her.
"She was
more than just a colleague; she was a good friend to us all. She will be truly
missed.
"My
thoughts go out to her family and friends at this time and I will continue to
support them through the hard times ahead."
PCSO Lloyd
Paynter said: "We knew her very well. She was a great colleague and a
great friend as well.
"It's an
absolutely huge shock for all of us. It has certainly hit home very hard. She
was a really, really pleasant person."
St Stephen PCSO
Brain Harris said: "She was very highly regarded by her colleagues. It is
tragic incident."
