Northumbria Police officer denies trying to have sex with sleeping woman

The Northumbria Police officer denies visiting the woman while on duty

A police officer did not try to have sex with a vulnerable victim of crime while she was asleep, a misconduct hearing was told.

The 53-year-old is accused of conducting an improper relationship, having sex while on duty and sexually touching the woman without her consent.

The Northumbria Police officer maintains the relationship with the woman, known as Miss A, was consensual.

He also insisted he only ever had sex with her while he was off duty.

The man, referred to as Officer J, said he did not assess Miss A as vulnerable while they were in their relationship between May 2004 and December 2005.

He told the hearing he visited her approximately five times following the end of an investigation - that he worked on - into crimes she had reported.

Personal phone number

After the investigation concluded Miss A invited him to return to her home in the future, he said.

Officer J told the hearing in Newcastle: "She said 'pop in' as part of reassurance patrols in the area."

He said he returned while on duty and gave her his personal phone number.

He claimed to have later visited Miss A after shifts while still in his "half blues" - police clothing but without full kit - and said the pair had consensual sex from the first occasion.

Guy Ladenburg, for the defence, put it to Officer J that: "She says, 'the first time he got so close to me that I had my back against the wall. He went to kiss me and I said no.' Is that true?"

"No," replied Officer J.

The hearing was told of an occasion when Miss A fell asleep on the sofa and said she awoke to find Officer J trying to have sex with her.

"Is that what happened?" Mr Ladenburg asked.

"No," replied Officer J. He said he had woken her up and she had been angry with him and told him to leave.

Married with children

Olivia Checa-Dover, representing the police force, said the woman's 11-year-old daughter - referred to as Miss B - had "heard her mother shouting at you to get off her".

Officer J responded: "I can't remember what she said, but when I tried to wake her up she was very angry."

"You'd tried to have sex with her while she was asleep," Ms Checa-Dover asserted.

"No," he replied.

The officer, who was married with three children at the time, said he only ever visited Miss A after finishing his shifts.

Asked whether he accepted she was vulnerable, he initially answered "no" before adding: "Knowing what I now know, with information I didn't know before, the answer is yes."

Asked by Mr Ladenburg if he thought the relationship had been appropriate, he said: "The case has been finalised, the suggestion was for meeting off-duty as two adults, having nothing to do with the police investigation."

Officer J faces possible gross misconduct. The hearing continues.