Police officer jailed after contacting sex workers while on duty
A police officer who contacted sex workers while on duty and met them for sex has been jailed for eight months.
PC Christopher Taylor, 36, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office.
The Greater Manchester Police officer was suspended from duty when his crimes first came to light in March 2019.
An investigation by GMP’s Anti-Corruption Unit found that PC Taylor contacted three known sex-workers on a number of occasions whilst he was on duty.
On two occasions, Taylor met one of the women for sex while off duty.
He also met other sex workers and used their services.
The investigation also found that PC Taylor had carried out over 700 unauthorised searches of secure information held on GMP systems between June 2017 and March 2019.
The searches included information regarding family and friends, other police officers, organised crime group members and individuals believed to be sex-workers.
Henry Riding, prosecuting, said he particularly accessed police systems in relation to Operation Street Shield, set up in Rochdale in 2016 to protect vulnerable sex workers, as well as the local community, so he himself could contact and use them.
Taylor was jailed today after he previously pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office and one count of breaching section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Defence barrister David Temkin said: ‘Curiosity became a habit which he feels became an addiction which was unchecked and there is no proper explanation.’
He added his character had changed after the death of his father in 2017 and ‘his anger and frustrations worsened which sadly affected his marital relationship and his ability to see wrong or wrong in a professional context.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Chadwick said: ‘PC Chris Taylor’s behaviour fell well below the standard rightly expected of a police officer by the public.
‘He showed a blatant disregard for his role as a police officer and abused the powers afforded to him, effectively betraying the trust of the public and his fellow officers in the process.
‘We take offences such as this incredibly seriously so once his offending came to light he was quickly suspended from duty and his access to any restricted information removed.
‘The severity of his misconduct is reflected in the sentence passed today and I hope it will serve as a stark reminder of the consequences people will face if they abuse their position for their own gain.’
The Greater Manchester Police officer was suspended from duty when his crimes first came to light in March 2019.
An investigation by GMP’s Anti-Corruption Unit found that PC Taylor contacted three known sex-workers on a number of occasions whilst he was on duty.
On two occasions, Taylor met one of the women for sex while off duty.
He also met other sex workers and used their services.
The investigation also found that PC Taylor had carried out over 700 unauthorised searches of secure information held on GMP systems between June 2017 and March 2019.
The searches included information regarding family and friends, other police officers, organised crime group members and individuals believed to be sex-workers.
Henry Riding, prosecuting, said he particularly accessed police systems in relation to Operation Street Shield, set up in Rochdale in 2016 to protect vulnerable sex workers, as well as the local community, so he himself could contact and use them.
Taylor was jailed today after he previously pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office and one count of breaching section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Defence barrister David Temkin said: ‘Curiosity became a habit which he feels became an addiction which was unchecked and there is no proper explanation.’
He added his character had changed after the death of his father in 2017 and ‘his anger and frustrations worsened which sadly affected his marital relationship and his ability to see wrong or wrong in a professional context.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Chadwick said: ‘PC Chris Taylor’s behaviour fell well below the standard rightly expected of a police officer by the public.
‘He showed a blatant disregard for his role as a police officer and abused the powers afforded to him, effectively betraying the trust of the public and his fellow officers in the process.
‘We take offences such as this incredibly seriously so once his offending came to light he was quickly suspended from duty and his access to any restricted information removed.
‘The severity of his misconduct is reflected in the sentence passed today and I hope it will serve as a stark reminder of the consequences people will face if they abuse their position for their own gain.’