Met police officer ‘spanked’ 12-year-old girl’s bare bottom

A Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked and banned from policing after allegedly spanking a 12-year-old girl’s bare bottom.

Pc Ross Benson, of the North West Basic command Unit, was accused of smacking the girl multiple times between April and August 2018 when she was aged 12 to 13, and there was an alleged sexual element to his behaviour.

The alleged incidents happened when he was off-duty.

Bedfordshire Police arrested Pc Benson on suspicion of sexual assault on Nov 6 2020 but in September 2021 he was informed no further action would be taken.

A Met Police hearing concluded on Friday that he had breached the standard of professional behaviour at the level of gross misconduct, the force said.

He was dismissed without notice and placed on the barred list held by the College of Policing.

Det Supt Will Lexton-Jones said: “My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim who displayed courage in reporting this.

“Pc Benson’s abhorrent behaviour has led to his immediate dismissal, which is a decision I fully support.

“I hope this outcome demonstrates how we are rooting out those who do not demonstrate the high standards we demand from our officers.”

The incident follows a string of sexual misconduct cases involving Met Police officers in recent years.

Earlier this month, Mark Tyrell, 55, a former Met Police officer, was charged with 15 counts of sexual assault and two of rape.

In June, Jake Cummings, a Met Police officer accused of multiple sexual offences, was charged with rape and coercive control.

In February, a former Met Police officer who had been allowed to join the force after previously being accused of child rape, was convicted of carrying out multiple sex attacks.

Cliff Mitchell, 24, was convicted of 10 counts of rape, three counts of rape of a child under 13, one count of kidnap and breach of a non-molestation order following a trial at Croydon Crown Court.

Mitchell was first accused of child rape in 2017, but the investigation resulted in no further action and he was later able to join the Met Police, beginning his training in August 2021.

Last year it emerged that more than 120 serving Met Police officers were still performing their normal duties despite being accused of sexual or domestic abuse.

In 2022, sexual offence allegations against Met Police officers soared to a decade high after doubling in the year following the murder of Sarah Everard.

Figures showed 251 allegations of sexual assault, sexual harassment and other sexual offences were made against officers or staff in 2021.

They included 190 allegations made internally by police colleagues – a rise of 104 per cent from 2020, and a 206 per cent increase compared with 2010.