A veteran crime scene investigator is suing West Midlands Police for £100,000, claiming the pressure of handling dozens of murders and other suspicious deaths contributed to a stroke that ended his career.
Paul Tebbutt, 68, worked for the force for 27 years, helping to investigate more than 2,000 deaths during his time in its forensics team. He became a crime scene co-ordinator in 2012.
Mr Tebbutt says he dealt with about 45 murders and 100 suspicious deaths each year. In 2017, he attended up to 200 deaths while working 45 hours a week.
The following year, he dealt with the highest number of murders in the West Midlands. His partner had left and was not replaced, leaving him to work alone, he says.
His cases included the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy in Coventry. He also attended the 1994 Coventry air disaster, in which five crew members died when a Boeing 737 crashed in Willenhall.
Lawyers representing Mr Tebbutt told the High Court in London that his work exposed him to “cumulative levels of harmful occupational stress”. He claims the strain, combined with the harrowing nature of the cases, led to his stroke in 2023.
Mr Tebbutt has previously described suffering burnout after photographing a teddy bear left on the bed of a 12-year-old murder victim.
Court documents acknowledge that the work was inherently stressful but allege that West Midlands Police did not have a system for monitoring the level of pressure he was under.
Mr Tebbutt, who is from Coventry, said he could not return to work in a police station because it caused feelings of dread and anxiety, and instead worked from home.
He was classed as permanently disabled following the stroke and medically retired in April 2024.
West Midlands Police said: “As this is an ongoing matter, it would be inappropriate to comment.”
