WPC Cathy Marshall     played by Lynne Miller

First appearance    A Quiet Life (20/06/89)

Crisp WPC Cathy Marshall was one of the brightest women at Sun Hill. At times she seemed also one of the bossiest - but that was just because she was neat, prepared, raring to go and couldn't understand those who weren't. She had passed her sergeant's exams and was often 'acting' sergeant. When there were visiting officers to order about, Cathy had fun. 

She arrived at Sun Hill to work as the Collator (in what's now called the LIO), looking after all the files and records. She thought it was time for a more peaceful life, with only her brain getting tired by the end of the shift. After all, she'd been pounding the pavements for several years and she'd seen her share of excitement. She came with a brand-new commendation for single-handedly arresting an armed robber, and her colleagues knew that she was more than a filing clerk.

Cathy had been married for ten years to a CID officer and he'd beaten her up (there's a high rate of domestic violence among serving police officers, especially those doing stressful work). She confessed this to Viv Martella, a close friend and confidante. At one point, he returned to see Cathy to try to persuade her that they could patch up their differences, but he soon showed his true colours, and she sent him packing. For this reason probably, her attitude to her colleagues was a bit cynical, but she never lost her sense of humour. She soon tired of sorting the files, regular hours or no regular hours. A spell in the Domestic Violence Unit - during which time she helped the abused wife of her own doctor, a man she had consulted when she'd been abused in this way herself - didn't really suit her, either. She asked to return to the beat, and Inspector Monroe reluctantly agreed. He couldn't stop her - Cathy Marshall liked it out there.

Tragically, Cathy drowned in mysterious circumstances whilst chasing a suspect.