Guilty: West Midlands Police officers had sex with vulnerable women on duty
Two police officers who had sex with vulnerable women they met while on duty have been convicted of misconduct in public office.
West Midlands Police Constable Anthony Richie, 46, of East Meadway, Birmingham, and former officer Steven Walters, 55, of Winster Green, Swadlincote, took advantage of women they had met between July 2013 and June 2014.
During their trial at Birmingham Crown Court, the jury heard how both men engaged in sexual activity with the same victim; Walters at her home address on October 1 2013, while PC Richie began an inappropriate relationship with the same woman following his initial visit to her home on June 4, 2014.
Following the previous police visit, PC Ritchie also contacted another vulnerable woman by telephone before visiting her address and having sex with her while on duty. He began an inappropriate relationship with her and then asked her to lie to his superiors about their relationship started.
Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: "This was predatory behaviour from two police officers who abused their position of trust while on duty to serve the public.
"Both Walters and Ritchie took advantage of vulnerable women after visiting them for police purposes."
Walters, who was dismissed by West Midlands Police for gross misconduct in 2016, also engaged in sexual activity with another woman while on duty on July 14, 2013.
Ms Ainslie continued: "I want to commend the bravery of the women in this case for coming forward and providing the evidence to enable us to secure these convictions."
The Independent Officer for Police Conduct (IOPC) carried out four separate investigations which led to PC Ritchie and PC Walters each being charged with two counts of misconduct in public office, involving allegations of abuse of authority for sexual gain.
IOPC regional director, Derrick Campbell, said: "Abuse of power for sexual gain is a breach of the public's trust, which seriously undermines confidence in the police service and discredits the profession.
"Both officers have behaved disgracefully and in PC Ritchie's case our investigations established that while he was having a relationship with two different women at the same time after meeting them through work, he was also going through a disciplinary procedure for inappropriate texts he sent to another women he met while on duty.
"The actions of PC Richie and ex-PC Walters were quite rightly described as predatory during the trial and an aggravating feature is that they consistently targeted women who were in vulnerable situations and were looking to the police for help."
Both men will be sentenced on September 21 where they were warned that they should expect custodial sentences.
