Pervert police worker jailed for pestering vulnerable woman for sexual selfies
A perverted police worker who used his “professional connections” to request sexually-explicit photos of a vulnerable woman has been jailed.
Derek Falkingham even sent a questionnaire to the victim in a bid to extract further sexual information from her.
He admitted a charge of misconduct in public office and was handed a 10-month jail sentence at Leeds Crown Court this morning.
Falkingham came into contact with the female through his job in autumn of 2023, and spoke with her over a two-week period using a non-police email and phone number, prosecutor Eleanor Fry told the court.
He engaged in sexually-explicit conversations with her, asked for explicit photos and sent her the questionnaire.
Miss Fry said: “He used his position to take advantage of a vulnerable victim in this case.”
She added that the victim had been in previous abusive relationships and “felt compelled” to comply with Falkingham because of his position and persistence.
She eventually sent him three photographs of herself in her underwear. However, they never met up and he was eventually reported to the authorities.
Mitigating on Falkingham’s behalf, Christopher Dunn said he had garnered a number of commendations for bravery while working for the police.
Mr Dunn said: “He has traded his good character for a completely misguided and wholly inappropriate sexual interest.
“He can’t explain why he was sexually interested and can’t explain why he departed from his character. He is as baffled as anybody else.
“He has let everybody down and the shame he will carry, given the result of his offending, dedicating his life to the service of the public, is something he struggles with every minute of every day.”
Mr Dunn pointed to a previous case in which a police worker engaged in sexual activity with three vulnerable victims, and was jailed for three years.
He pointed out that in Falkingham’s case, it was one victim, and there was no physical contact offending. Mr Dunn said that Falkingham was unlikely to trouble the courts again, and said that he could be rehabilitated in the community with a suspended sentence.
His Honour Judge Alexander Menary, told Falkingham: “You were in a position of trust and she placed a significant amount of trust in you.
“She felt she was unable to refuse your request and felt compelled to do so, not least because of the persistent nature.
“Mercifully, it did not proceed beyond the sending of messages. As unpleasant as it was, there was no contact offending.
“I’m satisfied it was totally out of character for you. The loss of your good name, the loss of your status, the loss of your exemplary work history and the tarnishing of your public service over many years is substantial punishment.”
He said that the public must have trust in police workers and officers, and said he would be “failing in his public duty” by not sending him to immediate custody.