Police officer jailed for abusing his position to have sex with vulnerable women
21 January 2023, 13:57
A former police officer has been sent to prison for nearly three years for abusing his position of authority to start sexual relationships with vulnerable women.
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Rhett Wilson, 27, was sentenced on Friday at Worcester Crown Court to 34 months in jail for perverting the course of justice and for corrupt or other improper exercise of police powers and privileges.
Wilson, who worked in Shropshire, joined the West Mercia police force in April 2019 and began contacting the vulnerable women for sex in December that year.
He was arrested on March 10 2020, after a referral was made into the force’s professional standards department.
Wilson was suspended on March 12 and resigned from the force in July 2020. He tried to hide his crimes by deleting messages and call data from his phone.
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Deputy Chief Constable Alex Murray said: “Rhett Wilson abused his position as a police officer to start relationships, and it is likely his victims did not even know what he was doing was wrong.
"The public need to have confidence police officers will act with the utmost integrity and not abuse their powers. Wilson’s actions could seriously undermine that confidence his exploitive behaviour will not be tolerated in West Mercia Police.”
Giovanni D’Alessandro of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Rhett Wilson was fully aware of his professional obligations in relation to those he met through his duties. Yet, he targeted women he knew to be vulnerable and used his position of power to exploit them for his sexual gain.
When he became aware of the police investigation into his behaviour, he deleted all evidence from his phone to evade justice, showing a blatant disrespect for the law.
Tory MP Peter Bone argues the Met doesn't reflect policing across the UK.
“Police officers are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, and the vast majority of police officers in West Mercia Police work tirelessly to serve our local communities.
However, there are officers that break the law and abuse their position for their own benefit which undermines public confidence in policing and the justice system, and such offenders can and will be held accountable for their criminal conduct. I would like to thank the victims for their bravery.
"I hope this conviction and the sentence that followed reassures both them and the wider public that nobody is above the law.”
