Background
Portsmouth has always been a busy area for our examiners, and last week we were contacted by a client who had served in the Services in Portsmouth for almost 30 years and needed to move forward to the next phase of his life after recently retiring.
The client and his wife had lived in Portsmouth for most of his service, and they were particularly pleased and somewhat surprised that we were able to offer an office location in the heart of Portsmouth, at the prestigious 1000, Lakeside in Portsmouth’s North Harbour.
The couple was met on arrival by our examiner, Karl Sheridan. Karl is a very experienced investigator, and in his long career, he has attended numerous Police and Home Office-approved training courses in the very latest interview techniques. He has a reputation for his personable, open approach to communicating with clients, helping them understand the polygraph procedure, its benefits, and limitations. At the same time, he has an analytical and meticulous approach to the details of the situation under examination. Many clients have posted glowing reviews about how he not only conducted the examination in a very professional manner but also did so in a caring, non-judgemental way.
How It Began
During their initial meeting, the client explained how the couple had first met when he and a group of fellow Navy ratings gate-crashed an Emergency Services Disco, held not too far from where our Portsmouth office now stood. The client and his wife-to-be met at the bar and immediately started a conversation about how cheeky the sailors were to invade the venue. She was a trainee nurse at a local Portsmouth Hospital at the time and, as the night came to a close and the traditional slow songs rang out, the client approached her again and stole the last dance.
The word stole was aptly chosen, as just as he walked over to her, he saw a tall, good-looking man heading in the same direction. The client’s stealth paid off and he got the girl, but, in a funny turn of fate, the tall, good-looking man, a young local Police Officer, became lifelong friends with the couple, even acting as Best Man at their wedding.
Not unlike many sailors, the client spent most of his 30 years’ service at sea with only short periods back at home in Portsmouth. As the years passed, he found it more and more difficult to leave Portsmouth Harbour as his family grew from one small baby waving him off with Mother, to two boys and a girl. His wife held the family together during his absence, balancing being a mother with a part-time nursing career and continual studying so that she could progress in her profession. She too was about to retire from Portsmouth Hospital NHS, having achieved the position of Nursing Sister specialising in Coronary Care.
Meanwhile, their Best Man had progressed through the ranks of the Police Service, moving from the uniformed local Portsmouth Police to working in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Over the years, the client, his wife, and the Best Man and his wife took holidays together, and their children became lifelong friends. Each attended family celebrations on birthdays, anniversaries, and whenever the Best Man was promoted to the next rank.
The Police Officer often acted as a father figure during the client’s absences, helping with family issues, rushing his wife to the maternity ward during births, taking children to football training and school events, and supporting the family as though they were his own.
The Suspicions
Knowing they were all retiring around the same time, the two couples had planned to pool part of their pensions and purchase a Bed and Breakfast in Portsmouth.
It was at the Best Man’s retirement party that the client, having consumed quite a lot of alcohol, accused his wife of having an affair with the Best Man and even cast suspicion on the paternity of one or more of his children. At first, the officer laughed it off, thinking it a joke, but as the client persisted, the seriousness became clear and the evening ended with both couples terminating a lifelong friendship.
Some months later, it was the client’s wife who reached out again, at first to the officer’s wife. The two women had shared confidences over the years, supported each other through pregnancies and family crises, and remained close. In the past, the officer’s wife had even shared that she nearly split with her husband after discovering his affair with a junior officer two years before his retirement.
Karl asked the client what had caused his suspicions. He explained that when he later discovered his friend’s affair with the junior officer, he connected it with his wife’s change in attitude toward him around the same time. In his mind, he built a narrative of jealousy and possible infidelity, which spiraled into doubt over and over.
The Test
It was actually the Police Officer who suggested that they all take a polygraph test. Having worked with a unit conducting lie detector tests on sex offenders, he had seen the effectiveness of the process and even offered to pay for both couples to be tested individually.
Both the client’s wife and the retired Police Officer were tested by Karl for infidelity. The officer’s prior affair with the junior officer was excluded from the test questions, and he passed his test. The client’s wife also clearly passed the infidelity questions.
Outcome
The client was massively relieved, if not somewhat embarrassed, and happily accepted the outcomes. The couple left to celebrate and continue their plans to work together in retirement at their new Portsmouth B&B.
This case shows how a lie detector test can help rebuild trust in even the closest relationships. The clear results allowed both couples to move past doubts, reconcile, and continue with their retirement plans together.
If you’re facing trust issues or uncertainty in personal or work relationships, a professional lie detector test can give you clarity and reassurance. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help resolve difficult situations and protect the relationships that matter most.
