Former Thames Valley Police PC jailed over inappropriate relationships

Investigators said Oliver Perry-Smith was a "sexual predator"

A "sexual predator" police officer who had sex with vulnerable women and pursued inappropriate relationships while at work has been jailed.

Oliver Perry-Smith, who worked for Thames Valley Police, was "immediate and brazen" in pursuing sex with some of his six victims, the court heard.

The 38-year-old committed multiple offences between 2014 and 2019 while based in Newbury, Berkshire.

Perry-Smith was jailed for three years and six months at Reading Crown Court.

The married father-of-one, from Newbury, was first charged after a probe by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in April 2019.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of misconduct in a public office and to two charges of computer misuse at a hearing in March.

Prosecutor Isabel Delamere said Perry-Smith tracked a potential sexual partner's address down from her registration plate after he parked next to her in a police car outside shops in Newbury in February 2019.

Hours later he told the woman he was visiting her flat because he claimed that cannabis had been smelled nearby.

'Targeted and planned'

She said his behaviour was "flirtatious" though she made clear she did not want a relationship and was left "terrified" that he might rape or kill her. After he left, she reported his visit to another police officer she knew.

In March 2015 he visited another woman in her own home dressed in full uniform. After interviewing her about a police matter, he sat next to her, ran a finger down her leg and said she was "very attractive".

A single mother and recent victim of domestic violence, she told the court that she had been "flattered" despite his "odd" behaviour and they pursued a sexual relationship, which eventually fizzled out.

In 2018, the same woman made a 101 call to Thames Valley Police. Noticing her details on the phone log, Perry-Smith pursued the woman again by text message. She declined.

She said she now feels a "sense of shame and regret" for having been taken advantage of, the court heard.

Perry-Smith joined Thames Valley Police in 2009. He passed its exam to become a sergeant in 2019 and acted up in that role for a month.

Perry-Smith was jailed at Reading Crown Court

IOPC regional director Graham Beesley said: "Perry-Smith was a sexual predator and his conduct caused significant distress to the women involved.

"He was prolific in the abuse of his position over a five-year period and his acts were intentional, deliberate, targeted and planned."

Alisa Williamson, defending, said Perry-Smith had used the time since being arrested to deal with possible sex addiction and has suffered with anxiety and stress.

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Bryan said he had received good character references from friends, including serving police officers.

He said the officer's victims often felt a "sense of obligation" to do what he wanted or had felt "overwhelmed".

Thames Valley Police said Perry-Smith would have been sacked had he not resigned in February

Thames Valley Police said in a statement that Perry-Smith had resigned from the force on 8 February.

It said its chief constable John Campbell held a special case misconduct hearing in private on 9 February, at which he found Perry-Smith would have been dismissed and that he had committed gross misconduct.

The force said it held the hearing in private so "legal proceedings were not prejudiced".

Its deputy chief constable Jason Hogg said: "Former PC Oliver Perry-Smith abused his position of power as a police officer and has rightly been punished for his disgraceful, criminal actions.

"We took robust action by referring his case to the IOPC as well as carrying out our own misconduct procedures."