I thought I would interview DC Paula Mahon as a lot of people seem to quite like her and she is a rising star in Ashbeck CID.
This interview takes place in late January 1993 after the John Cassidy murder case. (See Prescription for Murder in A Winter Murderland)
JULIET: It’s good to meet you, DC Mahon. Thank you for taking time out to talk to me.
DC MAHON: (Smiles flirtatiously) I can always take time to talk to older women, Juliet, but as it happens we’ve not got a major case on right now and to be honest I’m glad to get away from the paperwork and disgusting pigswill the Ashbeck police canteen has the nerve to call coffee.
JULIET: (Smiles). I’ve heard all about that.
DC MAHON: (Laughs) Don’t even go there!
JULIET: So have you always wanted to join the police force?
DC MAHON: Since I was about ten. I got the right 0-levels but I still nearly missed out because I’m not very tall. I just made it.
NOTE: In the 1990s there was a height restriction for the British police force, five feet four inches for women and around five feet eight for men.
JULIET: How do your family feel about your choice in career?
DC MAHON: Well, my older brothers, Simon & Joe, are delighted for me but my mum is convinced I’m going to be shot or stabbed in the line of duty. She was horrified when she heard what happened to DS Fox last year.
JULIET: Will DS Fox be returning to duty soon?
DC MAHON: I really hope so, he’s a good friend and I’ve really missed him. DI Lyle says that the hospital consultant is quite satisfied with his recovery, but he has to see the Police medical advisor and, as far as I know, he hasn’t gotten an appointment yet.
JULIET: What are the best and worst aspects of police work for you personally?
DC MAHON: I hate waiting on results from forensics, we seem to waste so much time doing that, but we want the right result so it’s a double edged sword. Real life isn’t like TV police dramas, it takes much longer. The best aspects are getting a result and making the arrest.
JULIET: Do you have ambition to get on in CID?
DC MAHON: I haven’t given it much thought. I’m happy where I am for now as I enjoy most aspects of the job. I won’t get to be Ashbeck CID’s first lesbian Superintendent because we already have Superintendent Kingsley. I’d like to be a DI one day, but I understand the value of getting as much experience as I can. Sergeant Harding taught me well while I was in uniform and both DI Lyle and DI Redfern have taught me loads as well.
JULIET: How did you cope when you realised DS Slade had a crush on you?
DC MAHON: It was difficult because I don’t think he suspected I was gay until he saw me kiss Janet at the scene where we found Bob Kenyon’s body. I have always been civil to him and I really hope he finds someone one day. I’m not sure he’d be my type even if I liked men in that way, but he is nice looking.
JULIET: What has been the toughest case you’ve worked with Ashbeck CID?
DC MAHON: Finding that macabre display in the late Reverend Hayes’ house during the Unholy Alliance case was difficult, but I think the John Cassidy murder case was awkward because a man was left without water in arid heat for several hours. I had thought Bob Kenyon lacked human decency, but that took some beating.
JULIET: Are you shocked by the notion of what people do to one another?
DC MAHON: Well, I don’t believe in the concept of sin and fallen humanity, but if this was a perfect world we would not need a police force. I have seen some awful things done, but I have also seen people punished for wronging others. None of us lost any sleep over how Bob Kenyon ended up for example. The state in which we found Paul Novak during the Cassidy murder case was pretty inhumane and I think it will take some time before I get over that one. What happened to DS Fox was pretty horrific too, but at least no one was killed as a result of the pub being bombed.
JULIET: Do you have any close confidantes?
DC MAHON: Well there isn’t much I can’t tell my girlfriend, Janet. DS Fox is probably my closest confidante at work though I can also talk to DI Lyle and DI Redfern if I need to.
JULIET: How do you relax when you’re not at work?
DC MAHON: Janet and I like to cook meals together as well as going for long drives and walks. We both work long hours else I think we’d probably get a dog. We also enjoy watching Inspector Morse and A Touch of Frost.
JULIET: When did you realise you were gay?
DC MAHON: When I was about thirteen I was in a school play and the girl who played the female lead kissed me once (in private though, it was nothing to do with the play.) When I was seventeen I slept with a boy, but it didn’t feel right. When I was eighteen I met Janet and then I knew for sure.
JULIET: Who do you really admire?”
DC MAHON: I admire Superintendent Kingsley because she’s open about her sexuality and doesn’t care what people think of her. I also admit to liking older women and have a bit of a crush on both Dame Helen Mirren and Joan Baez, although I’d have to fight DI Lyle for her. (smiles)
JULIET: Well, thanks for sparing the time to talk to me.
DC MAHON: It was a pleasure, suppose I’d better get back to the paperwork now (sighs)
This interview takes place in late January 1993 after the John Cassidy murder case. (See Prescription for Murder in A Winter Murderland)
JULIET: It’s good to meet you, DC Mahon. Thank you for taking time out to talk to me.
DC MAHON: (Smiles flirtatiously) I can always take time to talk to older women, Juliet, but as it happens we’ve not got a major case on right now and to be honest I’m glad to get away from the paperwork and disgusting pigswill the Ashbeck police canteen has the nerve to call coffee.
JULIET: (Smiles). I’ve heard all about that.
DC MAHON: (Laughs) Don’t even go there!
JULIET: So have you always wanted to join the police force?
DC MAHON: Since I was about ten. I got the right 0-levels but I still nearly missed out because I’m not very tall. I just made it.
NOTE: In the 1990s there was a height restriction for the British police force, five feet four inches for women and around five feet eight for men.
JULIET: How do your family feel about your choice in career?
DC MAHON: Well, my older brothers, Simon & Joe, are delighted for me but my mum is convinced I’m going to be shot or stabbed in the line of duty. She was horrified when she heard what happened to DS Fox last year.
JULIET: Will DS Fox be returning to duty soon?
DC MAHON: I really hope so, he’s a good friend and I’ve really missed him. DI Lyle says that the hospital consultant is quite satisfied with his recovery, but he has to see the Police medical advisor and, as far as I know, he hasn’t gotten an appointment yet.
JULIET: What are the best and worst aspects of police work for you personally?
DC MAHON: I hate waiting on results from forensics, we seem to waste so much time doing that, but we want the right result so it’s a double edged sword. Real life isn’t like TV police dramas, it takes much longer. The best aspects are getting a result and making the arrest.
JULIET: Do you have ambition to get on in CID?
DC MAHON: I haven’t given it much thought. I’m happy where I am for now as I enjoy most aspects of the job. I won’t get to be Ashbeck CID’s first lesbian Superintendent because we already have Superintendent Kingsley. I’d like to be a DI one day, but I understand the value of getting as much experience as I can. Sergeant Harding taught me well while I was in uniform and both DI Lyle and DI Redfern have taught me loads as well.
JULIET: How did you cope when you realised DS Slade had a crush on you?
DC MAHON: It was difficult because I don’t think he suspected I was gay until he saw me kiss Janet at the scene where we found Bob Kenyon’s body. I have always been civil to him and I really hope he finds someone one day. I’m not sure he’d be my type even if I liked men in that way, but he is nice looking.
JULIET: What has been the toughest case you’ve worked with Ashbeck CID?
DC MAHON: Finding that macabre display in the late Reverend Hayes’ house during the Unholy Alliance case was difficult, but I think the John Cassidy murder case was awkward because a man was left without water in arid heat for several hours. I had thought Bob Kenyon lacked human decency, but that took some beating.
JULIET: Are you shocked by the notion of what people do to one another?
DC MAHON: Well, I don’t believe in the concept of sin and fallen humanity, but if this was a perfect world we would not need a police force. I have seen some awful things done, but I have also seen people punished for wronging others. None of us lost any sleep over how Bob Kenyon ended up for example. The state in which we found Paul Novak during the Cassidy murder case was pretty inhumane and I think it will take some time before I get over that one. What happened to DS Fox was pretty horrific too, but at least no one was killed as a result of the pub being bombed.
JULIET: Do you have any close confidantes?
DC MAHON: Well there isn’t much I can’t tell my girlfriend, Janet. DS Fox is probably my closest confidante at work though I can also talk to DI Lyle and DI Redfern if I need to.
JULIET: How do you relax when you’re not at work?
DC MAHON: Janet and I like to cook meals together as well as going for long drives and walks. We both work long hours else I think we’d probably get a dog. We also enjoy watching Inspector Morse and A Touch of Frost.
JULIET: When did you realise you were gay?
DC MAHON: When I was about thirteen I was in a school play and the girl who played the female lead kissed me once (in private though, it was nothing to do with the play.) When I was seventeen I slept with a boy, but it didn’t feel right. When I was eighteen I met Janet and then I knew for sure.
JULIET: Who do you really admire?”
DC MAHON: I admire Superintendent Kingsley because she’s open about her sexuality and doesn’t care what people think of her. I also admit to liking older women and have a bit of a crush on both Dame Helen Mirren and Joan Baez, although I’d have to fight DI Lyle for her. (smiles)
JULIET: Well, thanks for sparing the time to talk to me.
DC MAHON: It was a pleasure, suppose I’d better get back to the paperwork now (sighs)