The love-trap PC: Officer ambushed by his three angry girlfriends is freed after assault case

But the PC triggered one himself when three women he was seeing at the same time discovered he was cheating on them.

Staff got his comeuppance when the mother of his two children, Hayley Burrell, 24, spotted his van outside the home of 32-year-old Beth Young  -  who says she is expecting his child  -  and the two spoke to each other. 

Ben Staff and Catriona McFadden, who has decided to stand by him

Hayley Burrell: Humiliated

They then contacted Catriona McFadden  -  who Staff had claimed was just a colleague at Norfolk police  -  and learned she too was having an affair him.

Armed with evidence of his three-timing, the women decided to spring a trap at an address where Staff was staying in Norwich.

Prosecutor Richard Crowley told magistrates in the city: 'When Mr Staff arrived, he was confronted by three women.

'It was a fairly noisy affair with a great deal of name-calling, accusations and swearing.'

Staff threw a bottle of cola over Miss Burrell, drenching her and leaving her 'humiliated'.

Later, as he was removing his possessions from the home he had shared with Miss Burrell, an argument broke out and police were called.

During the incident, Staff tried to stop them arresting him. He subsequently made 'persistent' calls to Miss Young, allegedly threatening to harm her unborn baby and warning that he would 'kick her head in'. He has denied being the father of the child.

The court was told that he would be resigning from the force after admitting assault, harassment and obstructing a police officer.

He avoided jail, however, and was not ordered to carry out a community sentence because of a leg injury he suffered in the line of duty. He was instead told to pay fines and costs totalling £2,215.

District Judge Philip Browning told him: 'Your behaviour falls far below the standards expected from a serving police officer.'

Miss McFadden has decided to stand by Staff and emerged from court holding his hand.

But Miss Young, a mother of three, said: 'He is a manipulating, lying cheat.

'He said he was single and had split up with his last girlfriend with whom he had two kids. He played us all off a treat. Catriona has got to be stupid to be staying with him.'

Miss Burrell said: 'He has the gift of the gab. He promises you a dream world, but none of it is true.

'It wouldn't surprise me if there were other women out there.'

Staff was an officer with the Metropolitan Police but returned to Norwich after starting a relationship with Miss Burrell in 2002. They first met as pupils at City of Norwich School.

They had a son and a daughter, now four and two, but Staff moved out in July last year after a series of arguments. Miss Burrell said: 'As far as I knew, we were still together and were trying to sort out our differences.'

Unknown to her, however, Staff had already been seeing Miss McFadden for more than a year and had recently taken Miss Young as his lover after she began renting a property he owns in the area.

Miss Young said Staff had been living with her and met the other women during the day, when he claimed he was at work.

Staff refused to comment.