Police officer who had sex on duty found guilty of misconduct in public office
Jordan Masterson, 28, was warned there was an ‘overwhelming likelihood’ he would be given a custodial sentence.
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A police officer who said he was “powerless” when he had sex with a woman while responding to a 999 call has been found guilty of misconduct in a public office.
Jordan Masterson, 28, was a probationary police constable, stationed in Widnes, Cheshire, when he was called to the home of the woman, referred to in court as female G, in the early hours of December 28 2021.
Masterson put his head in his hands and sobbed in the dock at Chester Crown Court as the jury found him guilty after nine-and-a-half hours of deliberations.
(Masterson's) shameful behaviour amounted to a serious abuse of the trust which the public rightly have in a police officer not to act in this manner
Judge Michael Leeming warned the defendant there was an “overwhelming likelihood” he would be given an immediate custodial sentence, but adjourned the case until March 20 for a pre-sentence report to be carried out.
The trial, which lasted just over a week, heard the woman had been drinking alcohol and was “emotional” after reporting a disturbance.
Masterson turned his bodyworn camera off about 15 minutes into his visit to her home, the court heard.
The woman, whose children were asleep in the house, told officers the “atmosphere changed” when Masterson touched her hand.
Giving evidence from behind a screen, she said: “How does this happen? How do you call the police and he ends up taking advantage of you when you’re drunk and vulnerable?”
Masterson told the court it was the woman who had touched his hand and said she had left the room while he was on a radio call and returned completely naked.
(Masterson) knew what he had done was wrong, and then attempted to cast doubt on the woman’s account by urging his colleagues to attend her home with at least two officers in future
The former officer, who resigned from Cheshire Constabulary in the summer of 2022, said “there was no thought process” during the sexual encounter.
He said: “I remember just being confused, feeling completely numb like I was glued to the floor.”
He claimed the woman pulled him on top of her onto the sofa.
The court heard he left after they had sex but later returned to her home, after more emergency calls.
He denied “pleading” with her not to tell anyone about what had happened.
When he left for a second time, the woman rang police and reported the incident, initially using the word “rape” but then saying she had wanted sex.
Asked in court about why she said she had been raped, the woman said: “That’s the word to describe how I felt. I felt completely violated.”
I hope this conviction reassures the public and the victim in this case that nobody is above the law and that all offenders will be held accountable
The jury was told that when Masterson, of Townsend Avenue, Liverpool was interviewed by police he made no comment to questions but gave a prepared statement in which he said the woman had “instigated” physical contact.
He also said female G had “been in control and that he was powerless”, the court heard.
A vulnerable person’s assessment form which Masterson completed after visiting the woman warned officers to “be wary of what this female may do in the future and I urge my colleagues to attend double-crewed”.
Speaking after the verdict, Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: “(Masterson’s) shameful behaviour amounted to a serious abuse of the trust which the public rightly have in a police officer not to act in this manner.
“He knew what he had done was wrong, and then attempted to cast doubt on the woman’s account by urging his colleagues to attend her home with at least two officers in future.
“I hope this conviction reassures the public and the victim in this case that nobody is above the law and that all offenders will be held accountable.”
A spokesman for police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said an accelerated misconduct hearing was held before criminal proceedings and gross misconduct was found proven.
Masterson, who would have been dismissed from the force had he not already resigned, was placed on the barred list, meaning he cannot be employed in policing in the future.
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.”