A Norfolk police officer sex offender, Ben Poole, has been convicted of two counts of sexual assault and acquitted of a third offence.
PC Ben Poole, 25 years old, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault by touching, stemming from multiple events that occurred on a single evening.
On Friday, July 4, 2025, after a four-day trial at Ipswich Crown Court, a jury convicted him of one count of sexual assault against a male and another count of sexual assault against a woman in Norwich on October 1, 2022.
Ben Poole was acquitted of sexual assault against another woman on the same evening.
The court examined the attacks, which entailed him inappropriately touching them without consent, occurring during the evening at a Norwich venue while Poole was commemorating a birthday.
Security requested his departure from the venue owing to his inebriation.
The allegations ensued from an internal inquiry conducted by the constabulary’s Professional Standards Department (PSD).
During the interview, Ben Poole stated that he had no memory of the events and did not perceive himself as intoxicated at that time.
He acknowledged that his acts, as outlined, would amount to sexual assault, but asserted that his drink must have been tampered with.
Chief Constable Paul Sanford stated: “I am profoundly dismayed by Ben Poole’s conduct, which is both profoundly troubling and distressing for his victims who have been compelled to revisit their experiences.”
“It is testament to their courage in speaking up that we have been able to bring Ben Poole to account and, hopefully, seek justice on their behalf.
“The public rightly expect officers to uphold the law when on and off duty and we will always remove officers who fall short of our standards.
“Any form of sexual assault is totally unacceptable, and we will always take action against any offender. This type of behaviour is wholly reprehensible and has no place in society or policing.”
Ben Poole – who was based in the Great Yarmouth area at the time when the offences took place – was suspended as soon as the allegations were reported to PSD ON FULL PAY. An internal misconduct process was paused until the end of the criminal investigation and subsequent trial so as not to prejudice any criminal proceedings.
He was bailed by the court to return to Ipswich Crown Court for sentencing on 29 August 2025.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.