Mental health nurse who was accused of assault and lost her unborn baby wins two-year court battle

A mental health nurse who lost her unborn born baby after a furious row with airport officials over a routine bag search has been cleared of wrongdoing after a ‘joke’ two-year courtroom ordeal. 

Heidi Mullis, 32, of Woolton, Liverpool, was charged with assault and using threatening behaviour after claims she used the F-word and tied her blonde hair back as is if ready to fight’ when she and her family were stopped at passport control. 

At the time, Ms Mullis was six weeks pregnant and scrambling to return to Britain after a two-week holiday in Bali with her partner, Michael Legros, 31, and four children at the onset of the Covid pandemic in March 2020. 

Her youngest child had come down with a mystery illness, and an argument broke out between herself and Border Force officials at Manchester Airport after she feared her family were starting to display Covid symptoms. 

Two passport control staff told Tameside Magistrates’ Court they grew fearful after Ms Mullis started displaying ‘aggressive’ behaviour and allegedly swore at them while they rummaged through the family’s bags.  

When the family were eventually allowed to leave, their youngest child was rushed to hospital. Ms Mullis, who works in the intensive care unit of a psychiatric hospital, was later quizzed by police about the incident.

She was charged with assaulting an emergency worker – which carries a maximum 12 month jail sentence – and a public order offence. During her two-year ordeal she faced six different court hearings before her charges were reduced. 

But Ms Mullis was finally cleared of all charges this week at Tameside Magistrates’ Court. Her lawyer, Brian Jackson, slammed the prosecution’s ‘joke’ case and described the whole ordeal that saw Ms Mullis lose her child as ‘bogus’. 

The bust-up occurred on March 24, 2020 as Heidi Mullis and her family landed at Terminal One in Manchester Airport.

Two Border Force officers gave evidence during the hearing, in which they alleged Ms Mullis became ‘very angry’ and started swearing.

Kelly Clarke, who works at passport control at the airport, told the court: ‘I handed five passports to the defendant but kept the passport of the male. While dealing with him, she became very angry. 

‘I suggested she go outside and take her children with her as I did not think it was a place for children to be.

‘But I could tell she was angry from her tone, from the way she was moving around, her language and she kept coming towards me. She also tied her hair back and I thought she was doing this so her hair couldn’t be grabbed in a fight. 

‘My interpretation was it was going to get very volatile. I was aware there were four children present and we would have to have had to search every single suitcase.

‘She said, “why would I want to go out when you have my f***ing man here?” She was screaming and stood about one metre away and moving back and forth. I did not like the language she was using in front of her children.

‘It was impossible to have a chat with her. She told me to basically f*** off.’

Fellow Border Force Officer Assad Negori said: ‘Her behaviour was very angry, both of them were very angry and showing signs of aggression. She made me feel nervous and on edge that something could happen. I can recall her swearing.’

Prosecutor Dave Holland later said Ms Mullis’ became ‘frustrated with staff’ and described the incident as ‘a serious one’.  

Ms Mullis said she and her family had spent two weeks in Bali at the onset of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, and planned to rush back home after hearing ‘horror stories’ of shops suffering with shortages.

Explaining her behaviour at the airport, she told justices: ‘My baby was sick and I did not know what it was and I didn’t want their staff around my child. 

‘There were a lot of emergency flights that week, my child was unwell and we had just got off a 20 hour journey. I just wanted to get home – it was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime, but it was a nightmare by the end of it.

‘Going through custom is never straightforward. I was apprehensive about my son and I wanted to get out of the airport and when staff intervened, that was the last thing we wanted.

‘But I was not aggressive. I work in pressure cooker situations, and I have to keep calm. 

‘I never shouted, screamed, or swore at the customs officer. I was six weeks pregnant at the time and I ended up losing that child.

‘The only reason I put my hair up was it was really hot. I was flustered and hungry and six weeks pregnant. I have never punched someone in the face in my life and I never thought me putting my hair up could have been considered to be aggressive.

‘Getting a criminal conviction means that I lose my job. It is my job to remain calm and patient and I am a good nurse. I have glowing references from all of my managers. 

‘I have been spat at at work and I have never retaliated – I would never put my job on the line. This was a fabricated story.’

Her lawyer Brian Jackson said: ‘There has never been a situation in my work where I have heard the prosecution say their witnesses have no reason to lie so they should be believed. It just goes to show how bogus the prosecution case is.

‘She is a responsible member of society and has no previous convictions. Why would she behave in this way?

‘She is well thought of as a community mental health nurse. She was six weeks pregnant at the time and had a child which she thought could have had COVID. It just does not hold together. Frankly, this whole prosecution case is a joke and I have no idea why it has been persisted with.’

Dismissing the case JP Veronica Heap said: ‘In our valuation, we found Miss Clarke and Mr Negori to be very credible and reliable witnesses. 

‘But we also found Miss Mullis to be a very credible witness and we believe this did not constitute to causing harassment, alarm or distress.’

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