Oliver Dines, another lying deviant West Mercia Police officer, sexually assaulted two women encountered during his responsibilities by inappropriately hugging and groping them, according to jury testimony.
Worcester Crown Court was informed that former West Mercia Police officer Oliver Dines refutes the allegations of committing the offences approximately one month apart while on duty in Herefordshire in 2020.
Oliver Dines reportedly enquired whether the first purported victim was single and made remarks on her attire before inappropriately stroking her posterior over her clothing during a “touchy-feely” embrace, as presented in court.
The occurrence of two instances of analogous behaviour towards two women indicates that the actions were premeditated and deliberate.
The 33-year-old, Oliver Dines, from Tupsley, Hereford, is also accused of having participated in “similar conduct” with a second woman, stroking her beneath her trousers after obtaining a statement from her, the court was informed.d.
Opening the Crown’s case against Dines on Monday, prosecutor Jonathan Stone told jurors: “He sits in the dock because we say, we allege, he sexually assaulted two women whilst on duty as a serving police officer.”
Alleging that “history repeated itself” when the second offence occurred, Mr Stone said: “He asked for a hug. She said that hug was not a standard hug… she froze.”
Matters were reported to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the court heard, and they began an investigation.
Concluding his opening speech to the jury, Mr Stone told the jury of nine women and three men that Oliver Dines had “denied any kind of inappropriate hug” with the first complainant and said in interviews that he did hug the second woman “but again it wasn’t intimate” and did not involve touching her bottom.
Mr Stone told the jury: “The fact it was two examples of similar conduct against two women shows what happened was planned and intentional.
“Neither complainant consented. They didn’t say yes and if they appeared to be consenting in any way that’s because they were deferential to the defendant given his position of power in their eyes.
“We say he well knew that and he took advantage.
You could feel hands not where they are supposed to be at all. He made me feel like I wasn’t in a position to say yes or no
“The defendant’s position appears to be that he may have flirted with these two women but nothing overtly sexual took place.”
Mr Stone added: “We point to the MO of the what the defendant did, it was broadly similar with respect to both of these women.
“They were independent of one another. To say that these allegations are simply not true – we say that lacks credibility.”
In a video interview which was played to the first day of Oliver Dines’ trial, the first alleged victim said: “I have never felt so vulnerable in my life.
“He gave me like a hug. You could feel hands not where they are supposed to be at all. He made me feel like I wasn’t in a position to say yes or no.
“The whole thing was just like a nightmare.”
Oliver Dines denies both charges and the trial continues.
UPDATE 13.02.25
A former police constable, Oliver Dines, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for embracing two women he interacted with while on duty and for sending them inappropriate messages on social media.
Oliver Dines was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court, convened at Redditch Justice Centre, on Wednesday, after admitting guilt at a prior hearing for the illegal exercise of police powers.
Prosecutors requested that two sexual assault accusations, concerning the officer’s interactions with the two victims, be recorded as inactive on the court file following the suspension of the trial in September of the previous year.
Former West Mercia Police officer Oliver Dines refuted allegations of sexual assault occurring around one month apart while on duty in Herefordshire in 2020.
A 33-year-old individual, Oliver Dines, from Tupsley, Hereford, was purportedly accused of enquiring about a woman’s relationship status and making remarks on her attire, as well as exhibiting “similar conduct” towards a second woman following the acquisition of her statement.
The unnamed women were not obligated to provide testimony in the prior trial before its discontinuation.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Jonathan Salmon informed Oliver Dines that the evidence indicated one of the women had been solicited to transmit nude images of herself, which she declined to do.
The judge told Oliver Dines: “The public rightly have an expectation that police officers will act with the highest integrity and probity.
“This is a case where your actions in respect of each of these individuals was deliberate. It is clear that you knew you were crossing professional boundaries.”
The offence, which was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), had also created a wider harm “to the community and the police force” by undermining public confidence, the judge said.
Commenting after the sentencing, IOPC director Derrick Campbell: “Part of a police officer’s role is to protect members of the public who are in vulnerable situations, not to make them feel uncomfortable and unsafe.
“This was a clear case of abuse of power by the officer, for his own gratification.
“Pc Oliver Dines’ behaviour has the potential to seriously undermine public confidence in policing and he has now, rightly, been held accountable for his actions.”
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