POLICE OFFICER JAILED FOR ABUSING VULNERABLE WOMAN HE MET ON DUTY
Shamraze Arshad, a former police officer from Greater Manchester, has been sentenced to four years in prison for misconduct in a public office, data misuse, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.The 38-year-old, residing on Ascott Close in Lostock, Bolton, was convicted after a court heard that while on duty in October 2020, he responded to a crisis involving a 21-year-old woman who was suicidal.
The jury was told that after his shift, Arshad looked up her personal details on police computer systems and began to contact her hours after she had been admitted to hospital.
Over the following weeks and months, he engaged in a sexual relationship with her, exploiting her vulnerabilities by abusing his police position to gain her trust and sleep with her.
The woman described their relationship as involving "friends with benefits," with Arshad visiting her for brief periods of 15-20 minutes for intimacy.
Arshad was arrested in July 2021 and released on bail with a strict condition not to contact the woman, but he ignored this order and returned to her home, even waking her by banging on her window, which caused her to hide and call police.
During the trial, Arshad denied having any sexual relations with her.
He previously had convictions for attempting to pervert the course of justice and unauthorised access to police systems, with a recent conviction on the misconduct charge after a re-trial.
Det Ch Insp Dave Jones of Greater Manchester Police commented that Arshad "abused his position as a police officer to pursue a sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman he was supposed to protect in her time of need" and stated he "will never be trusted to wear a police uniform again." The court's decision reflects the gravity of his breaches of policing standards and his betrayal of public trust.
