Police officer caught sending vulnerable 14-year-old girl sexual texts
A police officer has been sacked for sending sexual texts to a vulnerable 14-year-old girl.
Matthew Hunt, from Northamptonshire Police, acted with ‘predatory sexual intent’, against the victim, only named as Child A in a misconduct panel.
He referenced sexual activity in messages, described as ‘personal in tone’.
His predatory behaviour was only uncovered when the girl’s school found out he planned to meet for ‘something to eat’.
The panel was told how Hunt tried to move their communication to private channels ‘to reduce the chances of being caught’.
He ended up texting the teenager for a week and according to the panel, he ‘would have sought face-to-face contact’.
Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Ivan Balhatchet, who chaired the panel, said this is a case of an officer being involved in child sexual exploitation.
In his conclusion, he stressed that Hunt intended for this to lead to sexual abuse.
‘This is premeditated, planned, targeted, and involves deliberate or predatory steps,’ Balhatchet added.
‘This case reveals both a sexual attraction to children but also the arrogance of a police officer thinking he could get away with it.’
Balhatchet said the child was vulnerable ‘both because of her age and other factors’.
He also said Hunt chose to ‘disengage from the process’ because he did not attend the proceedings.
He said: ‘As the chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, I am appalled. This officer is a disgrace to the force and the wider police service.’
Hunt was dismissed without notice after being found to have committed gross misconduct.
He previously admitted his actions, that they amounted to gross misconduct by discreditable conduct, and had offered his resignation.
Hunt was also subject to an interim protective Sexual Risk Order.
Balhatchet added: ‘The priority of the police service is to protect the most vulnerable in society.
‘This officer has done the exact opposite and done so deliberately for his own perverted reasons.
‘Child A and her family may need the assistance of the police in the future. Granted the evidence in the bundle that seems to me a realistic possibility.
‘There is a significant risk here that the family, and others in similar positions, might be slow to trust police officers, or unable to trust them fully, due to PC Hunt’s actions.
‘There is also the question of their trust in professionals more widely, which is likely to be undermined by PC Hunt’s predatory behaviour.
‘I would like to say that I am so sorry to the victim, her family and the public of Northamptonshire.’
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