In school, Ashley was a problem child. She was a rebel. Lost without a cause. She didn't want to be there, and nobody was going to tell her she had to. Least of all mum. Her dad left when she was a child, and never returned. That was what started her towards a downward spiral. As much as she respected her mum for raising her on her own, there was a deep anger hiding within Ashley aimed at her father, which was just bursting to come out. 

And it did, with a vengeance. 
 

When she was fifteen, she got involved with a bad crowd. She started smoking and drinking. Her attendance rapidly fell, and social services called round after the school notified the state. But did she care? No. She was enjoying life and enjoying being a rebel, no matter who she hurt in the process. Little did she know, her mum was at home, drinking herself into oblivion. But Ashley was too much of a teenager to care. 
 

One day, when she finally decided to come home, Ashley found her mum hanging from the ceiling. Her mum had left a note, not blaming her, but deep down she knew it was her fault. And there was nothing she could do about it. The damage had been done and she was the one to blame. 
 

That's why she joined the Police Service — to make sure there were no teenagers making the same wrong decisions she did. Making sure they were sticking on the straight and narrow so that they don't blame themselves for any events in the future. 
 

So after she'd finished her GCSEs — and salvaged what was left of them — she became a Police Community Support Officer. She's been in the force ever since. After completing her Detective Constable exam, she became a member of the Criminal Investigation Department, where she met Jake for the first time — on her first case. With years of hard work under her belt, she eventually was promoted to Detective Inspector, and has been at that role ever since.