Former PC found guilty of sexually assaulting police cadets

Thirty-six-year-old Adnan Ali was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault and 15 counts of misconduct in a public office following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, which concluded on Monday (April 24).

The charges relate to incidents, between 2015 and 2018, involving young men and women enrolled on GMP’s Volunteer Police Cadet Scheme.

Ali, who was dismissed following a misconduct hearing arranged by GMP in April 2022, had denied the allegations but the jury found him guilty of all charges. He is due to be sentenced on June 23.

The court heard that cadet leader Ali was arrested and suspended in October 2018, after the force received a complaint that he had been behaving inappropriately towards a 16-year-old boy. Others reported that he inappropriately touched or kissed them.

Upon his arrest, electronic devices were seized and, during the “intricate investigation” that followed, GMP said officers uncovered thousands of messages and identified additional victims, whose evidence was used to secure the charges which were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service in July 2021.

Ali, who ran the Trafford Volunteer Police Cadets, was appointed as student officer coordinator by GMP in 2016.

However, an investigation led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found evidence that Ali used his role as a cadet leader to “exploit children and young adults he was responsible for”.

Inappropriate sexualised messages were found on Ali’s mobile phone, including an image of his penis, and a number of those who came forward reported being sexually assaulted by the officer.

The IOPC said the investigation, which followed a mandatory referral from the force in October 2018 and concluded in August 2019, had highlighted “serious failings in the way cadet schemes were being managed by GMP”.

It found “serious issues with the way the force supervised cadet leaders”, including “inconsistent training and a lack of safeguarding knowledge”.

Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane acknowledged that Ali could have been better supervised and managed and a full review of GMP’s Volunteer Police Cadet Scheme has since been made.

“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, and in acknowledgement that Ali could have been better supervised and managed, we are sorry,” he said.

“My thanks go to the victims and witnesses who bravely supported the prosecution which secured today’s verdict.

“Though trials are a fundamental part of the criminal justice system, the impact they can have on those involved and with whom cases resonate is not underestimated. We will ensure they are supported for as long as they need.

“Alongside the criminal and misconduct investigations, this case initiated a full review of GMP’s Volunteer Police Cadet Scheme. With national oversight, improvements have been and are continuing to be implemented to ensure cadet leaders are the role models they are expected to be and that they do not pose a risk to anyone.”

Chief Superintendent Mike Allen, head of GMP’s Professional Standards Branch, which conducted the investigation alongside the force’s Major Incident Team, said it was currently re-vetting all GMP officers and staff.

“Today’s verdict will do nothing to ease the public’s concerns about police misconduct,” he said.

“However, Ali represents the very worst and the minority in policing – he is among a very small percentage who discredit the police service and undermine trust and confidence in it.

“These individuals are being rooted and booted out by exemplary colleagues reporting their behaviour, investigating allegations, building cases against them, and playing a crucial role in proceedings to ensure they face the full force of the criminal justice system and have the many privileges of working in policing taken from them.

“Following national direction to all forces, the Force Vetting Unit is currently re-vetting all GMP officers and staff to ensure those who are wearing the force uniform and that those who have applied to do so are fit to serve the public.

“However, efforts don’t stop there. Whilst the assessment teams review complaints and allegations, the investigation teams and misconduct proceedings unit work together to secure the best criminal and misconduct outcomes, as a covert unit work under cover in amongst the workforce to stop corrupt officers and staff in their tracks.”

Chief Supt Allen added: “Though ensuring all employees behave with the highest standards of professional behaviour won’t be completed overnight, the people of Greater Manchester, the thousands of exemplary GMP officers and staff, and the force’s trusting stakeholders have my guarantee that, with my oversight of Professional Standards, the branch will do everything in its power to ensure the Code of Ethics is upheld to protect public trust and confidence in our ability to deliver outstanding service.”

While gross misconduct was proven at last April’s disciplinary hearing, GMP said the hearing had to be held in private and the outcome could not be published until now so as to not prejudice criminal proceedings.

The force said following the conviction, it will now be making representations to Manchester’s deputy mayor that Ali should be ordered to forfeit his pension.

IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “Ali’s disgraceful behaviour has had a significant impact on his victims and has absolutely no place in policing. He abused his position to exploit the young people who should have been safe in his care, and his complete refusal to take responsibility for his actions forced them to endure a lengthy and emotionally draining trial.

“His actions completely betray the trust placed in him by cadets and their families, as well as his colleagues who will be just as appalled by what he did. It is thanks to the bravery of all those who came forward that Ali’s offending has come to light and he has now been convicted.

“It is vital that those who experience or witness inappropriate behaviour by the police feel confident to report it and this case should send a clear message that those concerns will be taken seriously by us, by forces and by the courts.

“The investigation also highlighted serious failings in the way cadet schemes were being managed by GMP and we welcome a range of steps taken by the force since these offences were discovered to improve supervision of the officers entrusted with this level of responsibility.”

The IOPC said a “significant amount of learning” was identified for the force and GMP has since made changes, including to the vetting process; training for cadet leaders; banning social media contact between leaders and cadets; and the introduction of formal arrangements for senior leadership to have greater supervision of cadet groups.

Assistant Chief Constable David Thorne, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Volunteer Police Cadets, said: “The details of the Adnan Ali case make for difficult reading and I praise the bravery of those who spoke up to bring him to justice for his abhorrent actions.

“We recognised that Volunteer Police Cadet schemes needed strengthening and since 2018, a number of changes have been put in place to safeguard the many young people who give their free time to support policing in this way.

“The National Volunteer Police Cadet Safeguarding and Standards Hub was created to provide central coordination for schemes across the country.

“The hub now delivers mandatory safeguarding training to all forces. It has set national safe to operate standards and provides advice and guidance in relation to safeguarding and recruitment policies. It also runs a system to record and monitor concerns with a whistleblowing contact service open to all.

“If anyone is concerned about the conduct of anyone involved in a police cadet scheme I would urge them to report it to us via: vpc.safeguarding@vpc.police.uk.”