South Wales Police officer asked women for nude photos

A police officer asked vulnerable women to send him naked pictures and to have sex with him, a misconduct hearing has been told.

Christopher Mason, whose behaviour was described as "perverted", used his South Wales Police phone to contact three women with a "sexual purpose".

He contacted one 226 times with "raunchy and flirtatious" messages.

The chief constable concluded it was gross misconduct which would have meant instant dismissal had he not resigned.

Jeremy Vaughan, who chaired the hearing, said the officer had "abused his position as a police officer in an attempt to force sexual relationships with three vulnerable females".

Mr Mason admitted the allegations but did not attend the hearing.

The officer messaged a vulnerable woman, named Mrs A to protect her identity, after she was a witness to an incident in the Pontypridd area in November 2020.

The hearing was told they exchanged naked pictures and on one occasion he said he would attend her place of work to meet her.

On another occasion, the officer spoke with a Ms B, who had been arguing in Pontypridd town centre with her boyfriend and friends.

Mr Mason took her phone number to ensure she got home safely.

In the coming days he sent several Snapchat and text messages, including one offering to carry out a "welfare check" on her.

When she asked what that meant, he replied "so we can have sex".

Another vulnerable woman described his behaviour as "unprofessional and perverted".

They had exchanged messages and pictures of each other between September and November 2022 following an incident at her home.

In another message, Mr Mason described Ms C as "hot stuff".

Presenting officer Gary Osbourne told the hearing a request to go to the woman's home was "clearly to have sex".

On another occasion, he approached the woman who was with her boyfriend and whispered in her ear "when can I see you?"

He was also accused of being dishonest when he was questioned during an investigation into the incidents.

The misconduct came to light through routine monitoring of officers' communications on their work devices.

Software searches for specific phrases and emojis which cause concern and lead to further investigation.

Mr Vaughan said confidence in him as an officer had been "destroyed", and he has now been barred from being in the police.

The chief constable said the public were "entitled to have trust in policing" and he would "stop at nothing to remove corrupt police officers who abuse their authority".

He said "the vast majority" of police officers, staff and volunteers "conduct themselves impeccably".