Ex-Pc goes on trial accused of on-duty sexual assaults

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A police officer sexually assaulted two women he met during his duties by hugging and touching them both inappropriately, a jury has heard.

Worcester Crown Court was told former West Mercia Police officer Oliver Dines denies committing the offences around a month apart whilst on duty in Herefordshire in 2020.

Dines is said to have asked the first alleged victim if she was single and made comments about what she was wearing, before touching her on the bottom over clothing during a “touchy-feely” hug, the court heard.

The 33-year-old, of Tupsley, Hereford, is also alleged to have engaged in “similar conduct” with a second woman, touching her inside her trousers, after taking a statement from her, the court heard.

Opening the Crown’s case against Dines on Monday, prosecutor Jonathan Stone told jurors: “He sits in the dock because we say, we allege, he sexually assaulted two women whilst on duty as a serving police officer.”

Alleging that “history repeated itself” when the second offence occurred, Mr Stone said: “He asked for a hug. She said that hug was not a standard hug… she froze.”

Matters were reported to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the court heard, and they began an investigation.

Concluding his opening speech to the jury, Mr Stone told the jury of nine women and three men that Dines had “denied any kind of inappropriate hug” with the first complainant and said in interviews that he did hug the second woman “but again it wasn’t intimate” and did not involve touching her bottom.

Mr Stone told the jury: “The fact it was two examples of similar conduct against two women shows what happened was planned and intentional.

“Neither complainant consented. They didn’t say yes and if they appeared to be consenting in any way that’s because they were deferential to the defendant given his position of power in their eyes.

“We say he well knew that and he took advantage.

“The defendant’s position appears to be that he may have flirted with these two women but nothing overtly sexual took place.”

Mr Stone added: “We point to the MO of the what the defendant did, it was broadly similar with respect to both of these women.

“They were independent of one another. To say that these allegations are simply not true – we say that lacks credibility.”

In a video interview which was played to the first day of Dines’ trial, the first alleged victim said: “I have never felt so vulnerable in my life.

“He gave me like a hug. You could feel hands not where they are supposed to be at all. He made me feel like I wasn’t in a position to say yes or no.

“The whole thing was just like a nightmare.”

Dines denies both charges and the trial continues.