ANDREW KIRKLAND JAILED IN READING FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT ON CHILD
A former Metropolitan Police officer, Andrew Kirkland, aged 42, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl.Kirkland, who was based in Ickenham, London, crept into the child’s bedroom during the night, pulled back her bed sheets, and performed a sex act, the court heard.
Reading Crown Court was told that semen traces were discovered on the girl’s pyjamas and bedding after her mother, suspecting Kirkland, handed them over to police.
The jury’s unanimous verdict was delivered on Thursday following a four-day trial, conclusively convicting Kirkland of abusing a girl under 13 years old.
Judge Kirsty Real sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment, and he will be registered as a sex offender for life.
The court also noted that Kirkland, dismissed from the Met in 2014 for theft and fraud, was a neighbourhood officer in Ickenham.
Prosecutor Paul Fairley recounted how Kirkland encountered the young girl in Berkshire in March 2021.
He told the jury that Kirkland entered her room at night and, believing she was asleep, pleasured himself over her.
The prosecutor added, “The mother’s first memory was her daughter at the door saying ‘my bed’s wet’ and that someone had made it wet, but it was not her.
She thought a man might have been taking photos of her on his phone.
As you can imagine, her mind was racing all over.” Following the incident, the girl’s mother took the bedding, her daughter’s nightie, and Kirkland’s phone to the child’s school, where police were called.
Officers collected the evidence and arrested Kirkland.
DNA analysis revealed semen on three items, including the girl’s bed sheets and pyjamas, matching Kirkland’s DNA.
DNA expert Sarah Kalageros stated, “In my opinion, the scientific findings provide extremely strong support for the view that Andrew Kirkland entered the victim’s bedroom and ejaculated onto the bed rather than he did not.” Kirkland claimed that the semen presence resulted from a masturbation session earlier, suggesting he might have had semen on his hands.
Less than three hours after deliberation began, the jury returned a guilty verdict.
As the guilty verdict was read out, members of the public gasped with relief, and Kirkland’s head lowered in shame.
The prosecutor then read a statement from the unidentified mother of the victim, describing how the girl continued to experience hallucinations of Kirkland and was startled by sounds while walking down the street.
Kirkland was dismissed from the Metropolitan Police in 2014, having previous convictions for theft, misuse of workplace funds, and fraud, including a case where he used his work phone to contact sex chat lines.
Defence lawyer Colin McCarraher commented, “He is an ex-Metropolitan Police officer.
When he serves his sentence, it will not be an easy one.
He is an ex-copper.” In sentencing, Judge Kirsty Real highlighted the girl’s vulnerability, emphasizing she was young and asleep when assaulted.
Detective findings revealed that Kirkland had conducted internet searches for pornography, including methods to get into bed with a sleeping person.
Although the pornographic content on his phone indicated premeditation, it was deemed not to involve significant planning.
Kirkland, of Leicester, was ordered to serve four years in prison, to register as a sex offender for life, and a sexual harm prevention order will be applied for at a later date.
