A disgraced police sergeant, who tried to frame his wife by headbutting a door and claiming she punched him, has lost his job and been ordered to carry out community service.
Barry Murphy was in police uniform when he headbutted his front door and began punching himself at his former home in Dunfermline.
Fife police sergeant punched himself and headbutted door – then claimed wife attacked him
He hoped to land his estranged wife in trouble but his plan backfired when a teenager filmed his “bizarre” ham acting antics on her mobile phone.
Footage above this story shows Murphy yelling “you just hit me, I cannot believe you just hit me” when there was no one close to him at the time.
His wife had called the police and Murphy was apparently trying to put his assault claim on to the recorded call.
Murphy is now being kicked out of the police and is looking for a new job, while going through divorce proceedings.
A policeman for 14 years based in Edinburgh, Murphy appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court yesterday.
He was placed on a community payback order with 275 hours of unpaid work and was also made subject to a five-year non-harassment order to protect his wife.
Defence solicitor Gordon Williams had told the court his client was “very contrite. He knows he has fallen short of what was required.”
After a trial which ended last month, Murphy was found guilty of three offences, including assaulting his wife.
Murphy, 40, now of New Swanson Estate, Edinburgh, was convicted of three charges from separate incidents at his then home in Dunfermline.
On an occasion between January 1 and December 31 2015 at Bennachie Way, he assaulted his former wife, by seizing her head, pushing her on to a bed and struggling violently with her.
On February 24 at Bennachie Way, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting at his ex wife and a man, behaving aggressively and making threats of violence to them.
On April 10 at Bennachie Way, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and acting aggressively, all in the presence of a 16-year-old, placing them in a state of fear, alarm and distress.
