PC sexually assaulted male and female colleagues

Former police constable Ben Poole, 26, was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault

A police constable who sexually assaulted colleagues during a night out while drunk has been fined thousands of pounds.

Ben Poole was celebrating a birthday in Norwich on the evening of 1 October 2022 when he sexually touched a man and a woman who he worked with.

The 26-year-old was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault after a four-day trial at Ipswich Crown Court in July.

The officer, who served in Great Yarmouth, resigned from Norfolk Police in August and he was ordered to pay £5,000 in fines and costs at his sentencing hearing on Friday.

A misconduct hearing, which published its report last week, ruled that he would have been dismissed had he not resigned.

Norfolk Police Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: "I expect the highest standards of behaviour, honesty and conduct from all those employed in the constabulary.

"I want to thank the victims and witnesses who came forward and told us what happened.

"It is because of them, their courage and resilience that we have been able to put Poole before the court.

"The public rightly expects officers to uphold the law when on and off duty. This type of behaviour is wholly reprehensible and has no place in society or policing."

Poole was convicted by a jury following a trial at Ipswich Crown Court

After the incidents, which Poole claimed he had no memory of, he was removed from the venue by security staff for being too drunk.

He was suspended as soon as the allegations were reported to the police's professional standards department, the force said.

Norfolk Police's misconduct process was then paused until the end of the criminal investigation and subsequent trial.

Poole left the police before the conclusion of the misconduct hearing.

At his sentencing, he was ordered to pay a £2,000 fine, £3,000 in costs, a surcharge of £800 and was placed on the sex offenders register for five years.

The crown court jury found him not guilty of sexual assault on another woman on the same evening.