Northumbria Police officer groomed vulnerable single mothers

Erling Leask was a PC with Northumbria Police when he committed the offences

A police officer who groomed two vulnerable single mothers and had sex with one while on duty has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Erling Leask, of Newcastle, contacted the women when he worked as a PC for Northumbria Police in the early 2000s. He left the force a few years later.

He admitted misconduct in a public office and indecent assault.

At the Newcastle Crown Court, the 56-year-old was given a 20-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

Leask, who lives in the Cowgate area of Newcastle, had a consensual sexual relationship over several months with one woman, sometimes visiting her twice a day.

'Dereliction of duties'

He made similar advances to another woman and, having got her phone number for work reasons, he messaged her to say she looked nice and that he "fancied her".

After inviting her to a local park he kissed her on the lips - something the woman did not expect, the court was told, leading to the charge of indecent assault.

Leask faced disciplinary proceedings in 2002 over the incident and was moved from his beat but was not prosecuted at the time. He left the force in the mid-2000s.

Nicholas Lane, mitigating, said Leask had recently been widowed and had caring responsibilities for two of his six adult children.

The court also heard he served in the Army in the Falklands and Northern Ireland before becoming a police officer.

'Abused position of trust'

Judge Julie Clemitson said there had been a "dereliction of duties" as he pursued both women when he was supposed to be serving the public.

She gave him credit for his guilty pleas, his Army career and his caring responsibilities.

As well as the suspended jail sentence, he was ordered to carry out 50 days of rehabilitation and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Supt Steve Ammari, head of the professional standards department at Northumbria Police, said Leask "abused his position of trust" and described his actions as "completely unacceptable".

The BBC asked the force what the outcome was of the disciplinary hearing in 2002 and a spokesman said Leask had been issued with a Superintendent's warning "based on the evidence available at the time".

Police launched a new investigation when the woman Leask had been in a sexual relationship with contacted them years later after seeing him leave a betting shop, the Crown Prosecution Service said.