MERSEYSIDE Police has branded the actions of a former officer found guilty of committing sexual offences as “predatory and callous”.

Paul Ledwith, 49, formerly of Cotton Terrace, Bold, was in court on Thursday, October 17, and handed a 12-month suspended sentence.

It was found that Ledwith committed a total of three offences of sexual touching in Liverpool city centre in July/August 2020.

In a statement, Detective Chief Inspector Andy McCourt said: “This has been a long-running investigation and I’d like to thank both victims for their patience, courage and strength, both in coming forward and staying with a protracted court process.

”The predatory sexual behaviour of Ledwith has been unmasked, despite his denials and attempts to discredit both victims.

“The actions of Ledwith caused both of his victims fear and distress, and have had left longer-lasting effects, including anxiety, all exacerbated by their having to appear at his trial.

“In persistently touching, propositioning and causing fear to his victims, Ledwith showed a callous disregard for both women, and thought that he would be able to get away with this deeply concerning and criminal behaviour during a night out in the city centre. Witnesses, CCTV and a complex investigation have proved him wrong.

“Ledwith resigned from his position at Merseyside Police on 23 May 2021 prior to a Gross Misconduct Hearing which concluded on 28 May 2021.

“The hearing found that Ledwith would have been dismissed if he had still been serving, and will not be permitted to serve as a police officer in the future.

“This disciplinary action to ensure the officer would be removed from Merseyside Police was taken prior to the criminal trial, and should reassure the public and serve as a strong reminder, to any officers or staff, of the consequences if they seek to abuse their position or commit criminal offences on or off duty.

“At Merseyside Police, we have robust systems in place to identify and remove officers and staff who would seek to abuse their position to commit criminal offences, or behave in such a way to bring the police service into disrepute.

 “Earlier this year, The Angiolini report also made additional recommendations for police forces to ensure we take all possible measures to root out such people, including vetting, disciplinary and dismissal procedures.

”Officers and staff can report concerns directly, or anonymously via our internal reporting system, Call It Out and our Professional Standards Department take all such reports extremely seriously.

“We are committed to thoroughly investigate all reports of sexual offences, and specialist officers will safeguard and support you throughout the process, so we would encourage any victims to come forward.

“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should speak to the police, or to the organisations we work closely alongside to investigate sexual offences. We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

Please call 101 to report a sexual offence allegation where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers, or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.

Support for victims is also available through the registered charity the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire and Merseyside, who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063 or Rape and Sexual Assault Merseyside (RASA) on 0151 558 1801.

For women who have felt or feel unsafe in public spaces the Home Office has set up a pilot service StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk) for anyone to anonymously report public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, because of environmental issues, e.g. street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, e.g. being followed or verbally abused. Please note: 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents.