The boyfriend of EastEnders star Gillian Taylforth has claimed his head 'exploded like an egg ' when he was pushed into a police van during her drink-driving arrest . Dave Fairbairn was a passenger in the actress ' car when police detained her on a night out last month , prompting a clash with officers which led to him receiving a penalty for public disorder . Now Mr Fairbairn , 59 , is said to have appealed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission claiming he was assaulted . Row : Gillian Taylforth 's boyfriend Dave Fairbairn ( pictured ) was a passenger in her car when police detained her on a night out last month - prompting a clash with officers which led to him allegedly being assaulted . Dave Fairbairn ( left ) , the boyfriend of soap star Gillian Taylforth ( with him and right ) , said police assaulted him . He told Lewis Panther of the Sunday People : 'The copper who kept telling me to stop swearing pushed my head hard . And all I could see is a girder come towards me . 'My head just exploded like an egg . It went everywhere . Because it was a white floor you could see how soaked it was . I was covered . 'If I had seen someone covered in that much blood it would have been straight to hospital ... They took me straight to a police cell . ' Photographs of him leaving a police station later appeared to show a trickle of dried blood on his forehead , with smears around his nose and right eye . The pair were stopped at 1.25am on a Saturday morning , five miles from her £900,000 home in Broxbourne , Hertfordshire . Mr Fairbairn said officers knew Ms Taylforth 's name as soon as they tapped on the window of her car , which he said she was moving a few metres to avoid being clamped . As she was arrested he insisted he swore just once - saying 'for f*** 's sake ' at the general situation and not at any individual officer . Accused : The EastEnders actress was charged with drink driving and appeared at Stevenage Magistrates ' Court last week ( pictured ) . Her boyfriend - who received a fixed penalty - insisted he swore just once . Scene : The pair were stopped in the early hours in Hertford ( pictured ) , five miles from the actress ' home . But he riled police by filming his girlfriend 's arrest on his phone , Mr Fairbairn claimed . The former stockbroker - who was jailed for 15 years in 2003 over one of Britain 's biggest ecstasy-smuggling plots - was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken to a police station . He was released after Hertfordshire Police served him with a fixed penalty notice , which he said he is appealing . His girlfriend , who has made a surprise return to EastEnders as Kathy Beale after a nine-year break , was also arrested and was charged with drink driving . She appeared before Stevenage Magistrates ' Court on Monday and was granted unconditional bail ahead of a full hearing in May . A Hertfordshire police spokesman said earlier : 'The 59-year-old was arrested at 1.25am on February 7 in Fore Street , Hertford . She has been charged with drink driving . ' The actress started dating Mr Fairbairn in 2012 after they met through friends following the breakdown of her 23-year relationship with ex-fiancé Geoff Knights . Best known for playing Kathy Beale in Eastenders before her character vanished in 2006 , Ms Taylforth has also appeared in The Bill and the 2013 series of Celebrity Big Brother . She made a surprise return to Albert Square to mark EastEnders ' 30th anniversary and is now due to return to the show in a fuller role . Surprise return : Ms Taylforth 's character Kathy Beale has reappeared in the soap after a nine-year hiatus . Back on screen : Her character was reunited with Phil Mitchell ( Steve McFadden ) in a live episode . Her boyfriend was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2003 after being found guilty of plotting to import and supply Class A drugs at Bristol Crown Court . He served seven years behind bars . At the time of the court case , it was the biggest drugs raid in history after police found 839,500 ecstasy tablets worth an estimated £7.5million . Mr Fairbairn has since been diagnosed with prostate cancer , the same disease which killed Ms Taylforth 's ex-partner four years after they broke up . He is already suing a different police force over a similar argument in 2013 when he was accused of drink driving on the M62 in Merseyside , he told the Sunday People . His solicitor could not be reached for comment . A Hertfordshire Police spokesman said : 'We can confirm that a complaint was received , via the Independent Police Complaints Commission , on February 24 , and is being assessed by the Beds , Cambs and Herts Professional Standards Unit . ' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Dave Fairbairn was star 's passenger when she was arrested in Hertford . His head 'exploded like an egg ' when he was 'thrown against police van ' Photos after his release showed dried blood on 59-year-old 's forehead . Mr Fairbairn , who was given a fixed penalty , has complained to the IPCC . His girlfriend is due before magistrates in May charged with drink driving .