West Yorkshire officer saw vulnerable women wanting police help as 'easy sex'
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Declan Middleton targeted the woman in 2020, before moving onto another woman who had also called the police for help just weeks later.
The 33-year-old was handed 24 months behind bars at Leeds Crown Court this morning. He had been found guilty after a two-week trial of two counts of misconduct in a public office.
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Hide AdJudge Simon Batiste told him: “During the trial I detected little or no remorse. You sought to either lie or minimise any wrongdoing.
“It would have been obvious what a very vulnerable woman she was. Despite these factors you failed to treat her in the way she needed or deserved.
He said: “You saw them [the victims] as an opportunity to engage in what you saw as easy sex.”


Judge Batiste added that Middleton had “chosen to betray the trust” put in him as a police officer.
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Hide AdOutlining the case, Kitty Colley said Middleton, of Larkfield Terrace, Keighley, was a newly-qualified PC at the time, but was “well acquainted” with the ethics by which an officer should conduct himself.
He had been called to investigate the first victim’s claim about an incident of domestic violence in May, 2020.
After speaking with her, she gave him her phone number and sent him photos of her injuries through WhatsApp, which triggered further communication which became of a “sexual nature”, Ms Colley said.
Visiting her home several times, he touched her bottom as she walked up the stairs and told her she had a “nice a***”. He later had consensual sex with her, all “within days of meeting her”.
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Hide AdAfter, the woman tried to distance herself from him and asked her not to tell anyone about their relationship.
But at the end of July, he was called to another woman’s house who had contacted the police over an allegation of harassment. She later said she felt he was flirting with her when he arrived and she said it was “like a date”.
Again, they swapped personal numbers and exchanged hundreds of messages which the court heard were both “flirtatious and sexual”. He was also in contact with a third woman.
Middleton was later interviewed by police twice, and gave no comments. The woman both later said they had lost trust in the police as a result of Middleton’s behaviour, with one saying she felt like an “unpaid prostitute”.
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Hide AdThe Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation in January 2021.
IOPC regional director Emily Barry said: “PC Middleton’s predatory behaviour was unacceptable and has no place in policing.
“The fact he tried to cover his tracks was evidence that he knew what he was doing was wrong. This abuse of trust seriously risked undermining public confidence in the police.
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Hide Ad“It was thanks to the courage of the complainant in coming forward that we were able to carry out this investigation and identify this disturbing pattern of behaviour.
“I would like to thank all those who assisted with our enquiries and helped ensure PC Middleton was held accountable.”
Middleton would have been dismissed, had he not already resigned, the IPOC said.
He has also been placed on the barred list, meaning he cannot work for the police service in the future.
He was given a 10-year restraining order to stay away from the three women.