A FEMALE detective facing the sack for breaking wind on duty and using foul language yesterday admitted her crude sense of humour "let her down".

The Argus previously reported that Detective Constable Claire Fitzpatrick, 44, is accused of repeatedly using four-letter swear words and breaking wind in front of other officers.

But DC Fitzpatrick described it as "banter" in her station - saying she believes she performed "excellently" as a sergeant.

She said: "My humour is what has let me down.

"If you take my humour out of this equation I feel I have performed as a sergeant excellently."

The police officer - who had been promoted to a temporary sergeant - is accused of 25 counts of inappropriate behaviour amounting to gross misconduct.

The hearing was told DC Fitzpatrick was "training on the job" while carrying out her role as a temporary sergeant after 22 years service in the Gwent Police force.

She said: "You draw from your experiences of how to be a sergeant from the sergeants you have worked under.

"How they deal with banter. How they tackle performance issues. It's more hands on learning."

Nick Gedge, representing DC Fitzpatrick, said the detective had never faced misconduct allegations before.

Mr Gedge said: "This is a case where context is all.

"She would often make herself the butt of the jokes to jolly along an atmosphere as it were."

He said it was an example of "self-deprecating behaviour."

Mother-of-two DC Fitzpatrick agreed that some supervisors could behave as though they were "one of the gang."

The disciplinary hearing was told colleagues of DC Fitzpatrick described her as having an "unique sense of humour" and being "crude with her comments."

In one email from a colleague she was told to "apply the filter occasionally."

But DC Fitzpatrick, who was working at Bedwas police station near Caerphilly, Gwent, was also described by colleagues as "trustworthy" and "respectful."

DC Fitzpatrick previously told the police force disciplinary hearing that swearing "was just the nature of the place" - and that the C-word "had replaced the F-word as the swear word of choice".

She allegedly asked a male PC if he had a girlfriend and whether he wanted an affair with "an older woman".

When he said no, she allegedly replied: "I’ll be gentle, I promise."

DC Fitzpatrick also admitted breaking wind outside the sergeant's office at the station - but said: "It wasn't deliberately".

She said: "I would joke about it. Sometimes I would speak like the character Borat, or use a silly voice to say: ‘Rather out than in’."

Fitzpatrick - who has been a detective for 12 years - denies bullying and inappropriate behaviour.

Detective Claire Fitzpatrick said the misconduct allegations made her want to "hang your head in embarrassment and shame."

But she said the "banter" at the station was not targeted at any one person - and says officers nicknamed her after American comedy actress Melissa McCarthy.

DC Fitzpatrick said: "The banter was everybody. Nobody was specifically targeted.

"Other people used to call me Melissa McCarthy."

The hearing was told the station was seen as a "safe haven" for officers to relax.

DC Fitzpatrick said: "We are doing a very stressful job. Back at the station is where you deal with your humour or banter.

"It's your down time. That's your safe haven."

DC Fitzpatrick said she dropped the "C-bomb" on shifts as a way of being "accepted" by officers.

She said: "It was just a way of me engaging and being accepted by them and saying 'Oh, I'm alright with that.'"

The hearing was told Fitzpatrick admits using bad language but denies speaking to colleagues in a demeaning way.

She added: "When you read these allegations you hang your head in embarrassment and shame.

"You read that and you almost gasp and go: 'Who is this individual.'

"Having hit this position that I'm in has made me realise how much I need to change. How much I need to be a better person."

The hearing in Cwmbran continues.