'Blue wall of silence' protects police officers accused of gender-based violence, victims say

WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

She was a sergeant and he was a constable. They met at work and became a power couple, sporting matching police badges.

But their love story would end in violence. It didn't matter that she outranked him — what happened flipped their power balance.

"It was just a slow burn downhill into what became a serious situation of coercive control, which I didn't see that clearly at the time," she said.

It began with verbal insults, but the woman said her ex-husband became increasingly controlling. He even used a listening device to spy on her, according to court files.