Former police officer guilty of indecent assault

Paul Harold, 47, was found guilty of indecent assault after a trial

A former police officer has been found guilty of indecently assaulting a teenage girl.

Paul Harold, 47, of Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent, carried out the offence in May 1997 when his victim was 15 and in care, according the Staffordshire force, which said she reported the matter in 2020.

Harold was convicted on Friday following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

He is due to be sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 28 April.

Officers said Harold denied the offence when he was interviewed in June 2020.

They said Harold had arrested his victim in 1997 on suspicion of theft. While she was in custody, he wrote his phone number on the back of her hand and went on to contact her where she lived.

They met up and he took her out in his car. On one occasion, he took her to his home where the assault took place.

Staffordshire Police said Harold was an officer for nine months between October 1996 and June 1997 when he resigned.

Deputy Chief Constable Jon Roy said: "This was a clear abuse of responsibility and trust from a police officer who swore an oath to act with integrity and to act within the law only nine months before."

He added: "Our communities rightly expect police officers to maintain exemplary standards of integrity and professionalism and the outcome of this case is an indication of how far below these standards his behaviour fell."