The Policeman was one of two officers on the scene when Rita Fairclough was taken into an ambulance after being assaulted by Alan Bradley at 7 Coronation Street in March 1989. Alan had fled the scene when Jenny Bradley and Martin Platt walked in on him trying to throttle Rita. After Rita was taken away, the policeman remained outside the house while a female colleague took Jenny and Martin inside to question them. Leading a group of onlookers, Percy Sugden asked the officer what was going on, but the officer couldn't say anything about the case. Percy took this to mean that the matter was more serious than the neighbourhood assumption that Rita had had an accident.