Policeman Guilty Of Assaulting Crime Victims
A police detective has been convicted of sexually assaulting two female crime victims.
Jeffrey Davies, a CID officer based at Merthyr Tydfil police station in south Wales, forced one woman’s hand onto the crotch of his trousers as she left an interview room where she had given a statement.
In a second assault, he picked up another woman and drove her to a lane close to her home, where he touched her leg and repeatedly suggested she carry out a sex act upon him.
Both assaults happened in 2010 and involved vulnerable women – neither of whom can be named – who met Davies through reporting crimes they had suffered.
A jury at Swansea Crown Court took around four hours to find the 42-year-old guilty of two of the three counts he faced.
He was cleared of exposing his penis to another woman.
Judge Paul Thomas QC adjourned sentencing until August 15 but told Davies that due to the “substantial breach of trust involved, there can only be one outcome possible”.
Releasing Davies on unconditional bail, the judge said: “I am prepared to show mercy so that you can put your affairs in order.
“But you must be prepared to lose your liberty when you return.”
Speaking after the jury returned its verdicts, South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Richard Lewis described Davies’ actions as “a gross abuse”.
“Jeffrey Davies was in a position of great trust within the community he served, but he betrayed that trust with this criminal behaviour,” he said.
“A thorough and determined investigation by South Wales Police anti-corruption investigators revealed he had committed serious sexual offences against women victims of crime, at a time when they were vulnerable and facing personal trauma.
“His actions are completely unacceptable and abhorrent. His colleagues, who work so hard to keep their communities safe, will feel betrayed and let down.
“The actions of this officer were a gross abuse of position and power and will not be tolerated within policing.
“This investigation demonstrates our determination to robustly tackle any behaviour of this kind.”
sky news HD
