PC had sex with vulnerable woman he met on duty

Det Ch Insp Dave Jones said Arshad "abused his position as a police officer"

An "arrogant" former police constable who had sex with a vulnerable woman he met on duty has been jailed for four years.

Shamraze Arshad was a Greater Manchester Police officer when he was called out to the 21-year-old's student accommodation while she was suicidal.

He later looked up her details on police computer systems and began contacting her hours after she had been admitted to hospital.

The 38-year-old, of Ascott Close in Lostock, Bolton, was convicted of misconduct in a public office at Liverpool Crown Court.

The jury heard Arshad and a colleague were called out to the woman's accommodation in Manchester in October 2020 while she was in crisis.

Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, said Arshad submitted a care plan for her after she was taken to hospital and having finished his shift "that should have been the end of the matter".

Banging on window

But later that morning, while off duty, he used his police mobile to find her personal details and began calling her.

Mr Baxter said that in the weeks and months that followed they began a sexual relationship

He told the jury that "far detached from the knight in shining armour she initially thought he was, we suggest that she was selected by him because of those very vulnerabilities which caused him to first meet her and that he abused his position as a serving police officer, gaining her trust, in order to sleep with her".

Seven months later, she ended their relationship, which she described to the jury as involving "friends with benefits", and said he would come round for 15-20 minutes "for a fun time in bed".

Arshad was arrested on 19 July 2021 and released on bail on condition not to contact the woman in any way - but he immediately went to her home, the court heard.

As she was out he returned the next morning and woke her by banging on her window.

The frightened woman hid in the bathroom and called the police.

'Rightly held accountable'

During the trial Arshad denied ever having sex with her.

He shook his head in the dock and repeatedly muttered "oh my God" under his breath when the jury returned unanimous verdicts after 75 minutes of deliberations.

Arshad had already been convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice and unauthorised access to police computer systems at a trial last summer.

That jury was unable to reach a verdict on the misconduct offence leading to a re-trial.

He was formally dismissed from the police last year.

Arshad was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice, data misuse, and misconduct in a public office and sentenced to four years in jail.

Det Ch Insp Dave Jones, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "I want to thank the courageous woman in this case for providing us with the evidence that was so important in ensuring that Arshad is rightly held accountable for the full extent of his crimes.

"He abused his position as a police officer to pursue a sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman who he was supposed to protect in her time of need.

"This is an unforgivable breach of policing standards and it’s right he will never be trusted to wear a police uniform again."