Former officer jailed over relationship with 16-year-old girl
A former Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officer has been jailed for pursuing an inappropriate relationship with a child he met through the course of his duties.
Che Homersham, 37, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday (May 13) to six months’ prison after having admitted misconduct in public office (MIPO).
It followed an investigation by the MPS’s Anti-Corruption Unit carried out under the direction of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) Anti-Corruption Unit.
His offending came to light after the former police constable, who was based in the North-West command unit, was arrested in August 2023 on an unconnected matter.
An examination of his phone found evidence that he had previously pursued an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old girl who he had met while attending a domestic incident involving the child in December 2018.
The investigation found that, after the domestic case had been closed, Homersham drove the girl to a nature reserve while off-duty to take a statement. He asked to kiss her but she said no.
The child also disclosed that after a week of texting, they met again and he drove her to a fast-food car park. After several attempts, he kissed her and touched her thigh and waist over her clothing.
A couple of days later he texted her and said he was going to pick her up from school and have sex with her.
The girl then flagged the relationship to a family member who told her to stop all contact with Homersham.
Homersham was further arrested in relation to the above offending in December 2023. He resigned from the MPS in January 2024 and left the force the following month.
In May 2024, the IOPC referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service and Homersham was charged with MIPO in October. He pleaded guilty in December.
In a victim impact statement, the court heard that the child thought Homersham, “was somebody that I could trust”.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Police officers hold a position of trust in the community and to abuse this position for a sexual purpose is a form of serious corruption.
“Such unacceptable conduct can cause significant damage to the public’s trust and confidence in the police and is particularly serious where the victim is a vulnerable person.
“We know this incident has had a significant impact on the young victim and damaged her trust in police officers.
“Homersham met her after responding to a domestic incident. The child was hoping to join the police and she trusted the officer, who had promised to help her with her career.
“However, instead of helping her, he took advantage of his position as a police officer to pursue a sexual relationship. As a result of his actions he now has a criminal conviction.”
The IOPC said it will now liaise with the force to progress misconduct proceedings.