A Greater Manchester Police officer has been jailed after he was revealed to be hounding two women he met in the course of his duties with thousands of calls and texts. The officer met one of the victims after he responded to a domestic violence incident.
Police Constable Julian Maynard, who was based in Oldham, pleaded guilty to two charges of misconduct in public office, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said, following an investigation by the watchdog. The officer admitted the charges at Preston Crown Court in December 2021, and was sentenced to eight months in prison today (Friday).
After meeting two women who reported incidents to the police, he went on to 'abuse his position as a police officer for sexual purposes', said the IOPC. Maynard 'formed inappropriate relationships with them' and 'was found to have had excessive phone contact with the women during the course of his duties between November 2018 and April 2020'.
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Mobile phone data showed that Maynard made more than 1,000 outgoing communications, consisting of texts and phone calls, to one woman he met during the course of his duties in a 13-month billing period. After concerns were raised with the first woman, a further review of Maynard’s work phone identified a high number of contacts with a second woman.
The contact made to the second woman continued from November 2019 to April 2020, with a total of more than 1,900 outgoing communications being made. This occurred after the GMP officer attended a domestic violence incident in July 2019.
Contact was initiated three months after the investigation was closed and messages were sometimes of a sexual nature, said the IOPC.
IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe said: “Cases where officers abuse their position for sexual purposes are among the most serious examples of corruption that we investigate and have real potential to impact on public confidence in the police.
“The public has a right to expect police officers to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism, and that those who fail to do so will be investigated and dealt with robustly.
“I hope this outcome sends a clear message to any officer who misconduct themselves in such a way, that they face serious consequences and will be held to account.”
The IOPC carried out an investigation following a referral from Greater Manchester Police in May 2020. At the end of the investigation, the watchdog referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service in July 2021.
The investigation followed a proactive review undertaken by the force of the most frequently called numbers.
The IOPC also found the officer 'may have breached police professional standards relating to honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy, duties and responsibilities and discreditable conduct'.
