Derbyshire police officer guilty over sex act avoids jail

Matthew Longmate has been given a 12-month sentence, suspended for a year

A police officer who had sexual contact with a drunk woman in his patrol car has avoided a prison sentence.

Matthew Longmate, of Derbyshire Police, had been on duty on 4 October 2015 when he and a colleague offered to take a woman home from an incident at The Association bar in Chesterfield.

On Monday, he was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for a year, for misconduct in a public office.

Longmate, 47, has already been dismissed from the force.

His trial heard that PC Longmate and PC Daniel Nash parked their car, and the woman had sex with Nash and performed a sex act on Longmate.

The details came to light when the woman raised concerns about PC Nash, who died of cancer last year.

Nash had admitted 13 charges of misconduct in a public office relating to sexual conduct with a number of women.

Daniel Nash admitted offences with a number of women but died earlier this year

He recorded a video interview before he died, naming Longmate as the officer involved in the incident.

Longmate was convicted of a single count of misconduct in public office in November.

Sentencing, the judge at Southwark Crown Court, Christopher Hehir, said Longmate's actions amounted to a "very grave betrayal of trust" and had left the woman "humiliated".

"I'm in no doubt this has had a considerable impact on her life," he said.

He said her victim impact statement made clear she would never have taken part in the encounter if she had been sober.

The court heard Longmate had a "stellar career" in the police, and had previously been commended for saving a vulnerable woman's life.

"What a pity it is that you threw all of that away in a few moments of madness that night," the judge said.

'Sad and sorry tale'

The judge said he did not want to send Longmate to jail, while Nash had escaped custody because of his illness.

He also said prison overcrowding had been a factor in his decision.

"The just course is to bring this sad and sorry tale to its end with a final act of mercy," he added.

Longmate - who had arrived in court with a holdall of clothes to take to prison - cried in the dock and hugged his wife and members of his family in court after the judge's sentence.

Steve Noonan, Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) director of operations, added: "PC Longmate targeted a lone woman who was in a vulnerable position in a town centre late at night.

"She should have felt safe in this situation but instead he and his colleague abused their position as police officers in a way that is a complete betrayal of the public trust placed in them."

Derbyshire Police Deputy Chief Constable Simon Blatchly previously said Longmate had committed "a truly horrendous crime" and that he had "no place in policing".