TWO women have said that their lives have changed after being sexually assaulted by a senior police officer.

As reported by the Star, Paul Ledwith was found guilty by a jury to three charges of sexual touching last month following a night out in Liverpool City Centre in July 2020.

Ledwith was handed a 12 months suspended prison sentence following his "utterly reprehensible" actions that Merseyside Police found amounted to gross misconduct during an internal hearing.

During Ledwith's sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday, October 17, his victims’ personal impact statements were read back to him to explain how his actions have had a devastating and lasting impact.

READ > 'Extremely positive feedback' as Church Square shopping centre close to capacity

'I am not the person I once was'

With the intoxicated police officer touching a young woman on the bottom twice without consent, and following her into the women's bathroom, the victim explained how she has repeated nightmares and is constantly in a heightened sense of alertness.

Read out by prosecutor Henry Blackshaw, the victim impact statement read: "Ever since this happened, I am in a heightened sense of alertness all the time. I am anxious and untrustworthy of people around me, even the people I should be able to trust.

"I still have nightmares where my mind goes into overdrive that the nightmare will play out again.

"I still can't believe that with that many people there, and after verbally and physically removing his hand from me, he still continued his pursuit of me [...] and thought he could follow me into the bathroom.

"[His actions] have affected my day-to-day life to the highest extent. My relationships with my partner and family have changed and I don't have the same personality to what I once had. I am not the person that I once was.

"He had plenty of opportunity to plead his guilt but instead he dragged me through this as if it was a cat playing with its prey.

"I never would have thought that one person's actions could have such an impact on my life."

'I don't think I will ever fully recover'

With Ledwith's persistently predatory behaviour continuing on the night out, he also began touching another woman's leg at another bar and the group had to head to their hotel to get away from him.

Reading this woman's victim impact statement in court, Mr Blackshaw said: "I didn't tell my close family [about the assault] because my mum had just passed, and although I told my partner, he did not believe me which had a massive impact on our relationship.

"I was always outgoing and not anxious about being around the opposite sex, but now I am very anxious and a shadow of the person I once was.

"I thought people would think I was making this up and I have felt physically sick in case I bump into anyone that he knew.

"He has continued to show no remorse for what he did and I believe his not guilty pleas were a way to damage my life.

"I am a mum now and I had to be cross-examined when I was eight months pregnant. I should have been making happy memories but instead I was in a court room retelling past events that I still struggle with.

"I don't think I will ever fully recover because what happened is always playing in the back of my head.

"Hopefully, [after Ledwith was found guilty], I can finally get closure and get back to being my former self."

At Manchester Crown Court, Judge Thomas Gilbart sentenced Ledwith to 12 months in prison. Noting his lack of previous convictions and lack of offending since the incidents four years ago, he suspended this sentence for two years.

Now a registered sex offender, Ledwith will have to take part in a rehabilitation programme and commit to 250 hours of unpaid work. Restraining orders against his victims will also be in place.