New police officer jailed for sexual assault

PC James Barrett-Barnett had just completed his police training when he committed sexual assault

A probationary police officer has been jailed for 42 months for sexually assaulting a woman after a night out.

PC James Barrett-Barnett, 25, had already been dismissed by Bedfordshire Police following a misconduct hearing.

After a night out with friends, he had got into bed with a woman and sexually assaulted her.

He admitted his actions but claimed it had been consensual, however he was convicted in April at Huntingdon Crown Court.

Barrett-Barnett of Walsall Road in Walsall was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

Following his conviction, a hearing in July found he had committed gross misconduct and he was sacked.

In his misconduct ruling, the chief constable of Cambridgeshire Police, Nick Dean, wrote: "There is little doubt in the public’s eye that he has damaged the reputation of the police service and bought discredit to it."

The probationary officer was dismissed by Bedfordshire Police after being found guilty in April

Det Ch Supt Zara Brown, who drives the force’s response to violence against women and girls, said Barrett-Barnett was a probationary officer for a short time and had just completed his initial training when he committed the offences.

"There is no place in society for violence against women, and especially within policing, as it betrays the trust and confidence the public should have in us as a service.

"We will continue to take robust action against anyone who acts in this way.”

She "highly commended" the victim for showing "great bravery by reporting what happened to her, as well as giving evidence during the trial".

"We will never accept this sort of behaviour, consent is paramount and no will always mean no.

"It is never too late to report anything that has happened to you, and we have specialist teams who will work closely with you and will believe you," she added.