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A former detective who pursued a relationship with a sex offence victim, whose case he was investigating, has been found guilty of misconduct in a public office.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) launched an investigation into 55-year-old Wasim Bashir’s behaviour following a complaint from a woman.
While working for West Yorkshire Police (WYP) and without any policing reason, the Bradford-based detective contacted a woman who had reported serious sexual offences and domestic abuse.
The officer, who had experience as a specialist in rape investigations prior to his retirement in June, then began a sexual relationship with her.
He was cleared of a second count of misconduct in a public office on the directions of a judge at Sheffield Crown Court.
He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on August 29.
After the conviction, IOPC director Emily Barry said: “As a police officer, DC Bashir held significant power so to abuse his position for a sexual purpose was an invidious and corrupt use of that power.
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“Despite being an officer with 28 years’ service, Bashir blatantly disregarded the rules designed to protect the public and maintain confidence in the police.
“His actions can only have undermined trust in policing.
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The case was heard at Sheffield Crown Court(Danny Lawson/PA)
“I would like to praise the courage of the woman who came forward to report DC Bashir’s behaviour which fell far short of the standards expected of a police officer.
“We would encourage any individual who believes they may have been a victim of this type of offending by a police officer to come forward and report it with the confidence it will be taken seriously.”
Bashir had previous experience as a specialist investigator of rape and serious sexual offences, meaning he would have known that the survivors were likely to be vulnerable, the watchdog said.
He had also been trained about abuse of position for a sexual purpose, so would have known his actions were unacceptable, it added.
The investigation found evidence Bashir engaged in sexual activity, including intercourse, with one woman on three separate occasions while he was part of the team investigating a sexual offence which she had reported to the police, the IOPC said.
Evidence was also found that Bashir had posted photographs of himself and the woman online, presenting them as a couple, without her consent.
Although he has left the force, a disciplinary hearing will be held in the future relating to breaches of professional standards.
WYP said its Counter Corruption Unit investigated under the direction of the IOPC.
After the case, Detective Superintendent Natalie Dawson, deputy head of WYP’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “For a police officer to pursue a sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman who had come forward to report being victim of a sexual offence is nothing short of abhorrent.
“I want to reassure victims of crime and the wider public that this former officer is not representative of our organisation.
“One of the force’s key purposes is to protect vulnerable people, and our officers and staff work tirelessly to protect people from harm and to safeguard victims.
“We took swift action to suspend Bashir from duty after potential misconduct in a public office was reported.
“A comprehensive investigation was then carried out under the direction of the IOPC to understand other victims he had had contact with and the nature of this contact.”