By David Young-
A former Cheshire Constabulary police constable who abused his position for a sexual purpose has been convicted of misconduct in public office.
Jordan Masterson was found guilty of the charge on Thursday (February 1) following a trial at Chester Crown Court.
The 27-year-old, of Townsend Road, Liverpool, is set to be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday March 20.
The case against Masterson began on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, after Cheshire Constabulary received a report that he had sex with a woman while responding to an incident in Widnes.
Masterson was arrested within hours of the report and the incident was referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), which took over the investigation. He was subsequently charged with misconduct in public office.
Following his arrest Masterson was immediately suspended from duty and later resigned from the force.
Cheshire Constabulary Deputy Chief Constable Chris Armitt said: “I welcome the outcome of this case and hope the verdict reached today will provide some reassurance to the woman in this case and the wider public.
“As soon as we became aware of the allegations, we acted swiftly to arrest Masterson and he was immediately suspended from duty.
“During the investigation, it became clear that Masterson had taken advantage of a vulnerable victim of crime.
“Not only that, but he also purposefully turned off his body camera and destroyed evidence to hide his offending.
“Thankfully, he has now been held accountable for his actions.”
Masterson resigned from the force in June 2022 – prior to an accelerated misconduct hearing.
At the hearing Masterson was found to have committed gross misconduct and would have been sacked had he not resigned. He has been added to the College of Policing Barred List.
Mr Armitt added: “While I understand the concern that this case may cause, the overwhelming majority of our officers are professional, dedicated individuals who act with integrity and work hard to keep Cheshire safe.
“We actively enforce the highest standards of integrity and professionalism, and I want to reassure anyone who turns to us for help, or who finds themselves in need of our assistance, can be completely confident that they will be treated with the courtesy, respect and professionalism they deserve.”
The IOPC began a criminal investigation on January 4, 2022, following a referral from Cheshire Constabulary in December 2021.
“We concluded our investigation in April 2022 and referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Masterson was charged in December 2022 and pleaded not guilty,” it said.
The investigation found that on December 28, 2021, Masterson was deployed to the address of a vulnerable woman to deal with ongoing domestic issues. While at the address, the former officer deactivated his body-worn video camera at 12.44am and had sex with the woman. His next known movements occurred at 1.12am when vehicle telematics show that he unlocked and entered his police vehicle.
Shortly after he left the woman’s address, the woman made another call to Cheshire Constabulary, which Masterson responded to, and he declined assistance from other officers. The woman reported that Masterson had a conversation with her on his return and he told her to not tell anyone what had happened in the house.
IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “Former PC Masterson’s disgraceful behaviour has absolutely no place in policing, and he has now been held accountable for his actions.
“Police officers are made fully aware from the outset of their careers about how they should deal with members of the public they meet through their professional duties, particularly those who are in vulnerable positions as victims of crime. Masterson completely abused his position of trust for sexual purposes.
“We are always grateful to people who speak out about the inappropriate behaviour they have experienced or witnessed. We want people to feel empowered to speak up if they believe an officer has acted inappropriately. You are not alone; you will be listened to; and your experiences will be taken seriously.”
During the investigation, the IOPC said its investigators gathered a “significant amount of evidence”.
“We reviewed body-worn video footage, radio transmissions, call recordings, vehicle telematics and mobile phone data, as well as forensic analysis proving there had been sexual contact,” he said.
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