December 2010

Police officer’s sex act appeal case thrown out

A PERVERTED policeman — who performed a sex act in a squad car in front of a young girl he was supposed to be helping —has had his claims he was wrongly convicted thrown out by top judges.

Kristian James Abbott, aged 29, was jailed for 21 months at Manchester Crown Court in November, 2008, after he was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Having since been released from prison, Abbott, of Cannon Street, Radcliffe, brought a legal battle against his conviction to the Court of Appeal in London yesterday.

Mr Justice Cranston said Abbott picked up a 15-year-old girl who had run away from a care home in 2007.

At the Court of Appeal yesterday, Andy Fitzpatrick, for Abbott, argued fresh DNA testing on Abbott’s uniform trousers cast doubt on the jury’s verdict and made his conviction “unsafe”.

But three senior judges called his arguments “thoroughly bad”, and dismissed the appeal, saying the test would not have affected the jury’s verdict.

January 2009

A COP who carried out a sex act in front of a teenage girl in care has been jailed.

Father-of-one Pc Kristian Abbott, 27, performed the act in his patrol car as he returned the girl to her care home.

He was given a 21-month sentence – half to be served behind bars and the remainder on licence – at Manchester Crown Court.

Abbott was found guilty after a trial in November of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. The court heard he picked up the girl at Rochdale train station in April 2007 and offered her a ‘brew and a fag’ at the police station if she exposed herself.

Abbott, who got married just three months after the incident and has worked as a police officer of five years, asked her if she was working as a prostitute as he drove her to Littleborough police station and repeatedly asked her to expose herself.

She replied: “Aren’t you meant to be a copper?” and told him he should be catching criminals instead of being one, the court heard.

At first the girl said she thought he was joking but his behaviour persisted. She spent 20 minutes in a cell at the police station before he offered her a lift back to her Yorkshire care home. In the car he asked her to perform sex acts on him and again asked if she was a prostitute.

She asked him: “Do you not know how old I am?” He asked her if she thought he was a good copper and she replied that he was being weird.

The court heard how Abbott then stopped the car then pulled over and performed a sex act on himself.

Abbott then dropped her at the care home from where she had been reported missing the night before. She banged on the door and told a member of staff what had happened. An investigation was launched but the defendant said ‘nothing untoward’ had happened.

In a statement read to the court the victim told how the ordeal had made her feel ‘dirty’ and ‘scared to tell in case he came after me’.

She said: “After this happened to me I found myself in really risky situations and was too scared to call the police because of what he had done to me in case other policemen might do the same or worse.”

The girl said she hadn’t been able to sleep through worry, stress and fear and added: “Growing up in care has been hard enough without being portrayed as a liar in front of a lot of people who don’t even know me.”

Mark Jones, defending, said that Abbott, of  Radcliffe, planned to appeal and was adamant about his innocence. The officer has been suspended from duty and is expected to either be sacked or asked to resign.

Sentencing Abbott, Judge Peter Lakin, said: “As a serving police officer it was your duty not only to fight crime but also to protect the vulnerable in our society.

“You were trusted by the Greater Manchester Police and by the public you served to perform your duty conscientiously and with complete integrity.

“The harsh reality of this case is that in your dealings with (the victim) you abused your authority, you failed in your duty and you breached the trust placed in you.”

 He told him he had taken advantage of the girl and added: “You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself. Not only have you committed a serious criminal offence whilst on duty as a police officer, you have also tarnished the good name of Greater Manchester Police.”

As he was taken down Abbott’s family shouted: “We’ll fight for you, we know you’re innocent.”

He was disqualified from working with children indefinitely.