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Former Met and West Mercia Police constable Mark Cranfield despatched social media messages, together with one discussing his intercourse life, to the extremely weak lady, a two-week trial was advised.
Jailing the married 52-year-old at Birmingham Crown Court docket on Thursday, Choose Kerry Maylin described the offences as a “grave betrayal” of the lady’s belief within the police.
Cranfield, who despatched a buddy request to the lady minutes after she left a police station the place he had downloaded a video given to him as proof, had an “exemplary” profession till the misconduct started in 2018, the choose stated.
The girl had withdrawn her grievance and reduce off contact with the police as a result of Cranfield made her really feel uncomfortable, the choose stated.
The truth that the pictures had been forwarded by Cranfield to an unidentified telephone quantity had had “a marked affect” on the sufferer, the choose stated.
She continued: “Misconduct in a public workplace dedicated by law enforcement officials is all the time a grave betrayal of belief.
“Punishment and deterrence are vital components in instances similar to this.
“You have got now expressed regret however I’m afraid, doing my public obligation, I can’t accede to the submission to droop your sentence.”
Cranfield, who was primarily based at Ludlow police station in Shropshire, was convicted in December of two counts of misconduct in public workplace and an offence of accessing pc information, together with the lady’s telephone quantity, with out authorisation.
Jurors had been advised Cranfield made his attraction to the lady apparent when she made a grievance and offered proof to police, smirking as he advised her: “I’m glad I bought to see the photographs.”
The court docket heard he then had inappropriate contact with the sufferer, despatched her messages about his intercourse life, and forwarded intimate movies and pictures to a WhatsApp account that has but to be traced.
The previous officer was cleared of a 3rd misconduct offence referring to the social media buddy request.
Cranfield advised his trial that he had no sexual curiosity within the lady and believed he had deleted the pictures and video, which had been discovered on his work telephone greater than two years after the inquiry.
Cranfield, of Bromfield, close to Ludlow, denied he had been “titillated” by the video, stated he had contacted the lady through a social media messaging app to debate “on a regular basis” points and had solely despatched additional messages in a panic as a result of his spouse wrongly believed he was having an affair.
Prosecutor Simon Rippon advised the trial that the offences got here to gentle in April 2021, when Cranfield’s work telephone was seized from his locker with out warning for causes solely unconnected to the case.
Mr Rippon stated two images of the complainant had been discovered on the telephone, with a video of the lady stripping and fascinating in a sexual act.
Different photos of the lady sporting clothes had been deleted, the court docket heard.
A press release learn to the trial in the course of the defence case stated Cranfield, who was a constable for 27 years, spent nearly all of his service with the Met on royal safety duties and had additionally been an armed officer with the West Mercia power.
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Providing mitigation previous to sentence, defence barrister Liz Energy stated Cranfield was a hardworking household man who had been stacking cabinets at Tesco “so as to add slightly bit extra to the household earnings”.
Ms Energy added: “This was a person who, for regardless of the purpose, was clearly below some difficulties in his relationship along with his spouse and located solace in contacting another person.
“As a police officer, he shouldn’t have carried out it, he overstepped the road.”
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