Police officer ‘had sex with vulnerable woman after arresting her son’

Richard Hosken-Johns accused of having sex with two vulnerable women and a third woman while on duty

Richard Hosken-Johns who previously worked out of Helston Police Station (Google Maps)

A police officer has been accused of having sex with a vulnerable woman he met while arresting her son.

Richard Hosken-Johns is accused of having sex with two vulnerable women, and a third woman, while he was on duty in Helston, Cornwall.

Mr Hosken-Johns, who was suspended from duty, resigned days before the misconduct hearing.

During the hearing, a statement was read on behalf of one of the vulnerable women, who said: ”What happened was consensual but I can now see Richard homed in on me and took advantage of me.

“He first met me four or five years ago when he came and arrested my son.

“My son had been in and out of trouble a lot and was well-known by local officers. He would have known I was having problems with my son.

“He started messaging me asking if I’d meet for coffee. He’d message me a few times a day and came to my home two or three times a week.

“I was feeling low and wanted company. This snowballed and we did have a sexual relationship.

“We had sex most times he came around but never went on a date or anything. I felt used.”

Mr Hosken-Johns is accused of having a personal and/or sexual relationship with two women he met in his capacity as a police officer between September 2012 and January 2018.

The charges state he knew the women were vulnerable and that he had sex with them, and a third woman, while on duty, absenting from his role.

It is also claimed he made false or disparaging remarks about his colleagues to the two women, and told them to lie about their relationship.

He is also accused of accessing the police computer system in relation to one of the women for a non-policing purpose.

Mr Hosken-Johns has denied the allegations. He wrote to the chair saying he did not want to engage with the misconduct process.

A statement from the second vulnerable woman said she met Mr Hosken-Johns after she “got into a mess” through mixing alcohol and medication.

She later thanked him for his help, and the pair began exchanging messages.

She was in an unhappy marriage and her relationship with Mr Hosken-Johns was soon said to have turned into a sexual one.

She said: “It began as a friendship but soon became more physical. It then stopped being a friendship and he wanted to meet up when he was at work.

“It was always on a lunch break or while he was on duty and although we had talked about taking things further, I soon started thinking things weren’t right. Sometimes he would want to meet at 1am.

“I was very vulnerable at the time and he would have known that but I’m now much stronger and can see his actions were not as an officer should act.

“I realise he should not have invited me for coffee and that he just wanted a sexual relationship.

“I was mentally ill at the time and in a bad place. This made it worse.

“He led me to believe I was special and said he wanted a family with me. I was dealing with trauma and this put me back to square one. I felt used.”

Mark Ley-Morgan, the lawyer representing Devon and Cornwall Police, described Mr Hosken-Johns as “a disgrace to the uniform”.

Mr Hosken-Johns had told the investigation into his conduct there were various explanations for the time spent at the houses.

He said he was suffering with PTSD and had stayed at one of the addresses while feeling “unwell and light-headed” during a shift.

The hearing continues.

Additional reporting by SWNS