A FORMER West Mercia Police officer has admitted corruption charges after attempting to engage in sexual relationships with female crime victims.
Rhett Wilson, who had indicated guilty pleas at Worcester Magistrates Court to some of the charges, formally pleaded guilty to three charges of corrupt or improper exercise of police powers when he appeared before the crown court this morning (Friday).
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The first improper use of police powers happened between December 8, 2019 and March 10, 2020 when he, 'being a constable of a police force in England and Wales, namely West Mercia Police, exercised the powers and privileges of a constable improperly in that you continued contact with a complainant in an offence which you had been assigned to investigate in order to commence, maintain and develop a personal and sexual relationship and you knew or ought to have known that the exercise was improper.'
COURT: Rhett Wilson, facing the camera, leaves Worcester Magistrates Court at an earlier hearing.
The 26-year-old now of Jellalabad barracks, Tidworth, Wiltshire, indicated a guilty plea to a second, identical charge in relation to a different complainant between October 12, 2019 and April 4, 2020 and another identical charge in relation to a third female complainant between October 21, 2019 and February 3, 2020.
However, he denied a further charge of committing an act or series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice which involved the alleged deletion of data from his phone.
The allegation is that on or before March 10, 2020, with intent to pervert the course of public justice, he did an act which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice in that he deleted data on his phone.
The trial, which has a two day time estimate, is scheduled to take place on December 5 this year.
In the meantime, Wilson was granted unconditional bail.
SENIOR: Judge James Burbidge QC heard the case at Worcester Crown Court
Judge James Burbidge QC said: "You have pleaded guilty to a very serious offence that undermines the trust in the police force. Although I don't determine sentence, the most likely outcome is immediate custody."
Any sentence will await the outcome of the trial.
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