Former officer convicted of sexual offences

A former officer has been convicted of sexual offences following a joint investigation by the Met and West Midlands Police.

Former PC Thomas Thorpe, who was attached to the South Area Command Unit, was found guilty of the following offences at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday, 28 March:

- Three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child;
- Attempting to cause a child under 13 to look at an image of sexual activity;
- Attempting to cause a child under 13 to look at engage in sexual activity;
- Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced at the same court on 14 May.

The court heard how Thorpe engaged in online conversations with a person he believed was a 12-year-old girl. This was in fact an undercover police officer from West Midlands Police. Thorpe sent sexually explicit images to the ‘girl’ over four-week period in November and December 2019.

Thorpe was arrested 6 December 2019; a search of digital devices recovered from his address revealed indecent images of children. The devices also contained the images that he been sent to the ‘girl’.

Thorpe was suspended from duty following his arrest in December 2019. He resigned from the Met in September 2022.

Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain, local policing commander in south London, said: “People rightly expect police officers to uphold the highest standards and when an officer fails to meet those standards they can expect to face the consequences of their actions through the courts and our own misconduct process.

"Former PC Thorpe’s behaviour was abhorrent and he has been convicted of serious sexual offences. Prior to his conviction misconduct proceedings established that he would have been sacked had he not already left the organisation.”

An accelerated misconduct hearing took place in May 2023 and found former PC Thorpe had breached the standards of professional behaviour which amounted to gross misconduct. The hearing concluded had he still been a serving Met officer he would have been dismissed without notice.