3:46pm Wednesday 8th July 2009
A POLICEMAN'S decision to have sex with a woman recovering from an overdose was an “incident of utter madness,” a court heard.
John Richmond, 53, of Penn Street, Amersham, was a distinguished, long-serving officer at Brent Missing Persons Unit when he visited the woman at her home following her release from Central Middlesex Hospital.
She was admitted after taking an overdose of drugs and alcohol but Richmond, who was on duty at the time, says he was flattered and aroused when, he claims, she came on to him.
The Crown Prosecution Service denies she initiated the sex but accepts it was consensual.
Bridget Petherbridge, defending, said: “He has already suffered and will continue to suffer from this incident of utter madness.”
She added: “He found himself flattered and sexually aroused and ceased to think at that point. He has already suffered considerably. He has of course lost his reputation.”
She told Southwark Crown Court how the former detective constable, who has accepted he will not work for the Met again, is likely to have his pension slashed and expected to lose his house for financial reasons had he been jailed.
But Richmond was handed a nine-month suspended sentence, meaning he could still find a new job, and was ordered to pay £500 court costs today.
Judge Gregory Stone told him: “You engaged in sexual intercourse with a member of the public while on duty. This is a serious offence.
“Such behaviour damages public confidence in the police service. It's a breach of the protection which the public are entitled to when dealing with the police.
“A particular aspect of concern is that the lady in question is plainly vulnerable. She had very recently taken a drug and alcohol overdose and had only just left hospital.”
The court heard how the 45-year-old victim may not have genuinely intended to end her life. But Judge Stone said: “the conventional view of people who take overdoses who do not intend to commit suicide is that it is a cry for help.”
Ms Petherbridge said Richmond had no idea the woman had mental health problems at the time of the offence but she acknowledged “alarm bells should have rung” from the information he had.
Richmond, who was based at Kilburn Police Station, was twice commended during nearly three decades as a police officer and has received numerous letters of praise from members of the public.
Ms Petherbridge said: “Mr Richmond dealt with literally thousands of members of the public over the last 20 years with nothing but praise and certainly no question of complaint.
“It's difficult for him to explain, after all these years, what caused him to commit these errors.” She said there was no abuse, coercion or manipulation involved in the crime.
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