Police officer who pulled down woman’s top and took picture of breasts guilty of sexual assault

PC Paul Hinchcliffe found guilty by jury after trial at Leeds Crown Court

Police officer Paul Hinchcliffe arriving at Leeds Crown Court (SWNS)

A serving police officer has been found guilty of sexual assault after pulling down an 18-year-old woman’s top and photographing her breasts on a night out.

PC Paul Hinchcliffe denied the charge of sexual assault, but was found guilty by a jury on Tuesday after a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

Married father-of-four Hinchcliffe, a South Yorkshire Police training officer, was drinking in a pub in Rotherham with three other members of the force on 3 October 2020.

Louise Reevell, prosecuting, said Hinchcliffe began flicking beer foam into the victim’s chest and down into her breasts while making “grunting” noises.

Ms Reevell told the court: “He said she had a ‘good bum’ and also took a picture of her in her glasses and then said, ‘I’m going to have a w*nk to that tonight’.

“She tried not to acknowledge it and to move on, even though it was a bit weird. The defendant then flicked foam at [her]. Initially, it hit her glasses.

“But the defendant then began flicking bits of foam into her chest and down into her breasts and made grunting noises.

“He then pulled out his phone and took a photo down her top, saying he was going to send it to a friend as he would regret not coming.”

In an interview played to jurors, the woman said: “It didn’t start off strange. I think the first odd thing was he made comments about my bum and said: ‘Every time you get up to the toilet, I’ve had a look.’”

The woman described how the defendant started flicking foam from the top of his beer onto her glasses, which she first thought was “a laugh”. But then she added: “He was throwing it down my boobs. Then he got his phone and kind of pulled my top open and took a picture down my top.”

She told the interviewing officers that the defendant was making noises as he flicked the foam at her and she said: “I think he was making reference to ejaculating on my chest.”

Hinchcliffe told the group he was going to send the picture to his friend who could not make it out that night, she added.

At another point in the evening, Hinchcliffe heard his victim mention she wanted to have breast enhancement surgery because she had a “chest like a 12-year-old” - to which he commented she had the “bum of a 12-year-old”.

Later, when the woman returned home and was “reduced to tears” following his advances, Hinchliffe texted her saying: “God I’d do you, is that bad?”

The jury heard a police interview where the woman said she had chosen to go ahead with a “boob job” knowing the photo of her chest was “circulating”.

She said: “I was like so conscious of obviously the fact that people have been viewing a photo. To know there was a photo, that’s obviously kicked me into doing that so soon.

“It’s something I have always been self-conscious about but I think after this and knowing that there was a photo circulating - it’s quite embarrassing - I think that encouraged me more to have it so soon.”

During his cross-examination, Hinchcliffe said he sent the photo to a friend called “Ian” as it was “funny”, adding the picture should be viewed within the “context” of the night.

When Hinchcliffe was interviewed in April last year, his solicitor made a prepared statement saying the victim had consented to him taking the photo of her.

South Yorkshire Police previously said Hinchcliffe had been suspended from duties and an internal misconduct investigation was on hold pending the outcome of the trial.

Judge Robin Mairs told Hinchcliffe he would be sentenced at a later date following a report from the probation service.

Additional reporting by agencies.