Greater Manchester PC who groomed cadets on police scheme jailed

Adnan Ali offered to take one police cadet to a brothel and massaged another, the court heard

A former police officer who treated a cadet scheme as a "grooming playground" has been jailed for five years.

Adnan Ali, 36, sexually assaulted three victims, aged between 15 and 18, while running Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) volunteer initiative.

He also sent sexual messages to teenagers which were "bordering on relentless" between 2015 and 2018.

Ali was convicted of sexual assault and misconduct in a public office at Liverpool Crown Court.

Judge Denis Watson KC said Ali, of Old Trafford, "deliberately ignored" guidelines for cadet schemes, which included principles of respect and safeguarding.

He said: "Your vanity meant you decided you wanted to be seen as the star of the GMP cadet programme.

"Your real interest was yourself rather than the cadets, the public at large or the police force you purported to serve."

The court heard he "indulged in making sexual remarks" to the young people and sent messages about sexual activities, positions, preferences and partners as well as exchanging sexual photographs and offering to take one cadet to a brothel.

GMP is seeking a pension forfeiture certificate after the former officer was jailed

One of his victims was sexually assaulted while on a cadet camp, while other incidents took place in an office and in a car, the court heard.

The judge added: "The reputational damage you have caused to GMP and the police service generally and to cadet and apprentice schemes is huge."

Anne Whyte KC, prosecuting, said Ali's incentive was sexual gratification.

She said eight of the nine victims had provided statements about the impact on them.

"The overwhelming common denominator from all of those is the scale of loss of trust in these young people for other people in authority," she said.

Jane Osborne KC, defending, said a number of character references, including from parents of another cadet, had been submitted to the court.

She said Ali, a father-of-one, was attacked while on duty in 2013 and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

Adnan Ali was convicted of the offence following a trial

Ali, who was supported by eight family members in court as he was sentenced, has been dismissed from the force.

Efforts are being made to ensure he is not eligible for his police pension, GMP said.

Speaking after sentencing, Ch Supt Mike Allen, the head of GMP's professional standards branch, commended the bravery of the victims.

He added: "It is the view of GMP that he should never reap the benefits of having been an officer.

"He has already been added to the College of Policing's barred list - preventing him from serving for the rest of his life, and we are now following the process to try to ensure that he loses his valuable pension."

The investigation into Ali was managed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Regional director Catherine Bates said a "huge amount of work" had gone into ensuring Ali was "held accountable for his actions".

"Just as importantly, this investigation has led to substantial changes being made to protect young people," she said.

She added that GMP had taken "swift action" to address the 41 recommendations the IOPC made following its investigation.

The IOPC said GMP had made "improvements to the training and guidance given to cadet leaders", brought in a "standardised vetting process for cadet leaders", appointed a central team to oversee cadet recruitment and introduced an "induction package... to provide the new intakes with key information".

A representative said the force had improved communication within cadet units, addressed the lack of supervision for cadet leaders and clarified how to deal with breaches of its code of ethics.

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