Oliver Perry-Smith has been described as a “sexual predator” who “abused his power” and “broke public confidence” by chasing female members of the public for sex while in the Thames Valley police. The Independent Office of Police Behavior (IOPC) launched an investigation in November 2019 and found that Perry-Smith had a case to account for a serious misconduct. The IOPC said the officer pursued six women between September 2014 and November 2019 whom he had met during his duties. The 38-year-old, who joined the Thames Valley police in 2009 and passed the exams to become a sergeant, had sex with three people and tried to have sex with others, the guard said. He searched for the details of one of these women, and a seventh woman, in the computer systems of the force without policing, while he was at the Newbury Police Department, the IOPC added. The guard considered that the women were all in vulnerable positions, either because they had been reported to the police for an investigation or because they were victims, witnesses or acting as suitable adults for young victims of crime. His actions were revealed in 2019 when a woman called the police after Perry-Smith, who had previously attended her friend’s house, sent her a message with an indecent image. The guard found that the officer had also searched for details about her and her family on the police computer system. In another case, she used a police computer to identify a woman who was using her car license to park next to her and watch her go to a store, the IOPC reported. Perry-Smith, of Newbury, then telephoned her home for no police purpose and made personal comments about her appearance, even though she knew she was alone with a small child, the guard said. The woman was suspected and lodged a complaint with the IOPC. The former PC confessed to three counts of misconduct in public office and two counts of unauthorized access to computer hardware, in violation of the 1990 Computer Abuse Act. Perry-Smith, who resigned from the Thames Valley police on February 8 this year, was sentenced in Reading court to three years and six months in prison. IOPC Regional Director Graham Beesley said: “Perry-Smith was a sexual predator and his behavior caused considerable anxiety to the women involved. He was productive in abusing his position for a period of five years and his actions were deliberate, deliberate, targeted and planned. “His actions were often to the detriment of his official police duties.” Beesley said Perry-Smith’s actions had “seriously undermined the good work of the vast majority of police officers who serve the public professionally on a daily basis.” The IOPC said it would also be placed on the blocked list, preventing future police employment. Senior Attorney Charles White of the Crown Prosecution Service said Perry-Smith had “taken advantage of his privileged position and access to police resources to pursue many women for several years.” He said: “He knowingly violated police policy when he made personal visits while on duty. He seemed to believe that by lying to his superiors and using his duties as an excuse, he would be immune to the consequences of his actions. “Today’s sentence proves that no one is above the law, including those who are destined to support it. “Perry-Smith abused his power, shattered public confidence and made many women feel uncomfortable or insecure about their inappropriate pursuit.”
Information and support for anyone affected by sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the United Kingdom, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support at 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
