Policeman used cadet scheme as ‘grooming playground’ to carry out sick attacks on youths
24.04.2023 - 14:33
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A former police constable who used a cadet training scheme as a 'grooming playground' to sexually assault two teenage girls and a 17-year-old boy has been found guilty. Adnan Ali, who ran a cadet unit for the Greater Manchester Police force, denied twenty charges at Liverpool Crown Court.
The 36-year-old father-of-one was accused of sexually assaulting the trio and of fifteen counts of misconduct in public office involving sexualised conversations. He was found guilty on all counts for incidents between 2015 and 2019, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Ali, of Old Trafford, Manchester, was found guilty of sexualised conversations with six other teenage boys and asking for and sending indecent images to some of them, a court heard.
The officer was police leader of Trafford cadets in 2013 with the unit growing to 130 recruits. Prosecuting counsel, Anne Whyte, KC, claimed that he 'threw out the rule book' by breaching boundaries with his communication and conducts with cadets. He was arrested in October 2018 after a complaint was received about him 'behaving inappropriately' towards a 16-year-old boy.
Police seized his devices and officers found thousands of messages and identified more victims. Charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service in July 2021.
In April 2022, he was dismissed from the force and barred from policing at a hearing over gross misconduct. Representations to the Deputy Mayor will now be made by police that Ali should be forced to forfeit his pension.
Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane said: "Whilst Ali is responsible for committing these crimes, no one should be subjected to crime or misconduct during their contact with police officers and staff, like these young people were – for that,