Herts police officer guilty of raping under 13-year-old

James Ford, 31, was today (Wednesday, October 19) found guilty of 10 counts of sexual abuse against the same child - a girl under the age of 13.

These included four counts of rape, four of sexual assault and two of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The defendant - formerly of Bishops Stortford - was also found guilty of one count of perverting the course of justice by deliberately wiping information from his mobile phone.

Image: PA (Image: PA)

These offences occurred between 2019 and 2021.

Ford had been suspended from active duty in November last year.

He has now been remanded into custody, and will be sentenced on Friday, October 21.

DI Susie Hine, of Cambridgeshire Police - who had been investigating the allegations - said:"Firstly I want to pay tribute to the courage and bravery of the victim and her immediate family who have acted with huge dignity throughout.

"Through the victim’s powerful testimony, the jury were left in no doubt and now a predatory sex offender is behind bars.

“Cases of this nature are both disturbing and upsetting and I want to reassure the public, there is no place for an offender to hide no matter who they are.

"In this case it was a serving police officer who now faces the custodial consequences of his appalling actions.”

Hertfordshire Constabulary's assistant chief constable, Genna Telfer, added: "James Ford took advantage of a vulnerable victim in the most appalling way and his behaviour will have devastated those involved.

"Thankfully due to the bravery of the victim and the due diligence of the officers investigating, he will now serve time in prison which is where he belongs.

"I am disgusted by his actions and he will face a fast track hearing for dismissal.”

Following the jury's decision, the judge in the case Mr Justice Simon Bryan commented: “This is obviously going to have a lengthy custodial sentence – the sentence will be determined by me on Friday.”