PC Nicholas Musto jailed for sex with crime victim

Nicholas Musto was jailed at Peterborough Crown Court

A police officer who had sex with a vulnerable victim of crime while on duty has been jailed for 15 months.

PC Nicholas Musto, 51, met the woman when he was investigating a report of harassment she made in April 2007.

The Hertfordshire Police officer's relationship with the woman, who had "significant mental health vulnerabilities", lasted 11 years.

Musto, of Sedgeford, Hunstanton, Norfolk, admitted misconduct in a public office at an earlier hearing.

Peterborough Crown Court heard that on 11 April 2007 the woman reported harassment by a group of young people, and Musto was the investigating officer.

The court heard the pair began a "consensual" sexual relationship and he would park his police car near her home.

Prosecutor Alan Blake said that "it was her understanding he was always on duty when he came to visit her".

Mr Blake said "matters did not come to light until 2013", but in an investigation Musto "told a series of lies" and a charge of discreditable conduct was not proven.

Their relationship continued until early 2018 and later that year the woman's account led to an investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct.

Judge Sean Enright said: "Over the period of the offending you would have become aware of her vulnerabilities, but not immediately."

He said Musto should not have "embarked on a relationship" during an ongoing investigation.

Judge Enright added: "You should not have used your duty time to visit her for sex when you should have been doing other things."

Hertfordshire Police ACC Bill Jephson called the case "a distressing matter in which a vulnerable victim of crime has been abused in the most appalling manner by someone in a position of trust".