Ex-police officer on trial accused of sex assaults

Oliver Dines denies two counts of sexual assault

A jury has been told how a police officer sexually assaulted two women he met during his duties by hugging and touching them both inappropriately.

Former West Mercia Police officer Oliver Dines, 33, from Hereford, is accused of committing the offences on separate occasions while on duty in Herefordshire in 2020.

They were said by the prosecution to have occurred about a month apart.

Mr Dines denies both charges and the trial at Worcester Crown Court continues.

Mr Dines, who lives in Tupsley, was said to have asked the first alleged victim if she was single and made comments about what she was wearing before touching her on the bottom over clothing during a "touchy-feely" hug, the court heard.

He was also alleged to have engaged in "similar conduct" with a second woman, touching her inside her trousers after taking a statement from her, the court heard.

Opening the case against Mr Dines on Monday, prosecutor Jonathan Stone told jurors: "He sits in the dock because we say, we allege, he sexually assaulted two women whilst on duty as a serving police officer."

Alleging that "history repeated itself" when the second offence occurred, Mr Stone said: "He asked for a hug. She said that hug was not a standard hug... she froze."

'Position of power'

Concluding his opening speech to the jury, Mr Stone told the jury that Mr Dines had "denied any kind of inappropriate hug" with the first complainant.

He said in interviews that he did hug the second woman "but again it wasn't intimate" and did not involve touching her bottom.

Mr Stone told the jury: "Neither complainant consented. They didn't say yes and if they appeared to be consenting in any way that's because they were deferential to the defendant given his position of power in their eyes."

In a video interview which was played on the first day of Mr Dines' trial, the first alleged victim said: "I have never felt so vulnerable in my life.

"He gave me like a hug. You could feel hands not where they are supposed to be at all. He made me feel like I wasn't in a position to say yes or no.

"The whole thing was just like a nightmare."