Jailed Thames Valley Police PC was in offensive WhatsApp chat

Police watchdog investigators said Oliver Perry-Smith was a "sexual predator"

A jailed police officer was a member of a WhatsApp group in which colleagues shared "sexual and violent" messages and "derogatory remarks about victims".

Oliver Perry-Smith, who worked for Thames Valley Police (TVP), was jailed on Friday for three-and-a-half years and described as "a sexual predator".

Investigators also revealed Perry-Smith had admitted to having sex with two other officers while he was on duty.

TVP said other officers were "dealt with via formal misconduct process".

But a spokesman declined to give any further details regarding those involved.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched its investigation into the Newbury-based officer in 2019.

Perry-Smith admitted three counts of misconduct in a public office and two of computer misuse and was jailed at Reading Crown Court.

The IOPC seized three of his phones, where investigators found a WhatsApp group involving Perry-Smith and seven other officers.

These contained "offensive" material "of a sexual and violent nature, as well as derogatory remarks about victims of crime".

Perry-Smith was jailed at Reading Crown Court last week

The watchdog recommended Perry-Smith's behaviour be considered at a misconduct hearing.

Two others who were members of the WhatsApp group received written warnings after misconduct meetings. Another was dealt with at a first stage meeting.

Perry-Smith, from Newbury, joined the force in 2009 and passed its sergeant exam in 2019. He acted up in that role for a month.

In January 2020, in a meeting between Perry-Smith and his Police Federation representative, he said he had "on occasion" had sex with a special constable while on duty.

The married father-of-one later disclosed he had sex with another officer while on duty.

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

A TVP spokesman said: "We won't be releasing their details or the outcomes but all officers identified through the IOPC's investigation were formally dealt with via formal misconduct process.

"The decisions and outcomes were carried out with oversight from the IOPC."

Perry-Smith, who admitted two charges of computer misuse, resigned on 8 February and a special case misconduct hearing was held in private on 9 February.

It found he would have been sacked for gross misconduct had he not quit.

IOPC regional director Graham Beesley said following the court case: "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."