A former Bedfordshire Police officer who sexually assaulted a woman while on a night in Bedford has been sent to prison for three and a half years.
James Barratt-Barnett had already been dismissed from Bedfordshire Police at an Accelerated Case Hearing after being found guilty of assault by penetration and a further two counts of sexual assault following a trial at Huntingdon Crown Court in April.
During the trial, it was heard that after a night out in Bedford in 2022, he got into bed with the woman, despite her not consenting, and proceeded to sexually assault her.
Barratt-Barnett, 25, admitted his actions but claimed it had been consensual. However, he was convicted of all three charges and on Monday (7 October) was sentenced to three years and six months for assault by penetration.
He received one year and six months for the two further counts of sexual assault to run concurrently and has also been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.'””
Detective Chief Superintendent Zara Brown who leads on responses to violence against women and girls, said: “There is no place in society for violence against women, and especially within policing, as it betrays the trust and confidence the public should have in us as a service.
“Barrett-Barnett was a probationary officer for a short time and had just completed his initial training when he committed these offences, and he has since been dismissed from the force.
“We will continue to take robust action against anyone who acts in this way, and we will continue to root out these behaviours in society.
“I highly commend the victim who showed great bravery by reporting what has happened to her, as well as giving evidence during the trial which ultimately brought him to justice.
“We will never accept this sort of behaviour, consent is paramount and no will always mean no. It is never too late to report anything that has happened to you, and we have specialist teams who will work closely with you and will believe you.”
Reports of sexual assault or abuse, even if non-recent, can be made to the police by calling 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.
