Another British charmer



A Metropolitan Police detective who sexually assaulted two women in their own homes while on duty has been jailed for 12 months.

Detective Constable Clifford Earl, 57, molested a vulnerable and distressed innocent woman after police had arrested her partner in a dawn raid, having remained behind alone to comfort her and take a statement.

The married father-of-two also kissed and begged another woman for sex in her own kitchen, while touching himself, after she went to police for help to solve the violent theft of her 11-year-old son’s bike.

Earl’s wife of 33 years was suffering with bowel cancer and chronic leukaemia at the time of the offences, the court heard.

Sentencing Earl, Judge Michael Gledhill said the sentence was an 'act of mercy' because of his wife’s ongoing illness and berated him for his behaviour.

'You were a serving police officer at the time,' he said. 'The public are entitled to expect their police officers to protect the foundations of our civilised society. 'You have considerably undermined public confidence in the police service as a result of your behaviour.'

Earl will serve six months before being released on licence.

Southwark Crown Court in London heard that both the offences were committed in 2011 but Earl, who worked out of Walworth police station in east London, was only charged in January this year because of delays blamed on the original investigating officer, who was removed from the case before he was charged.

Earl, of Harvey Drive, Sittingbourne, Kent, admitted two charges of sexual assault at a court hearing in May.

The court heard today that he was sacked by the Metropolitan Police last week after a career of 33 years.

Judge Gledhill called for an inquiry into the reasons behind the delay in charging Earl.

The officer’s wife, Fiona, was in the public gallery as he was jailed. The court heard that her cancer is in remission but she still has chronic leukaemia.

The court was told that the first victim came into contact with Earl after she went to Peckham police station to report the theft of her son’s bike in early July 2011.

He gave her and her son a lift home after the bike was found, and gave her his private email address and later a private mobile phone number.

He claimed he would help her get rehoused in a different area, but begged her to keep it quiet.

Later that month he made a visit to her home while she was alone. While she made him a drink in the kitchen, he began brushing himself up against her, telling her she was 'beautiful and sexy' before kissing her.

Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly said: 'She was very confused by the defendant’s behaviour but he offered her reassurance and told her again he was in the process of helping her with the housing authority, though he repeated once again that she should not tell anyone he was helping her in that regard.

'While this was happening she could see the defendant was playing with himself and it was clear he had an erection. 'He also told her he wanted to have sex with her.'

The victim told Earl he should not act like that because he was married, Ms Farrelly said, but he repeated his demand for sex, 'saying he was in pain because of this'.

'Due to the defendant’s behaviour, at this point she was in a state of distress,' the barrister said. 'She was crying, she pushed him away and told him to leave her alone.'

He told his victim his behaviour was 'normal', the court heard, and then left, telling her: 'I’ll leave this until next time. I’ll call you again.' The court was told that he did call and text her twice more.

She eventually summoned up the courage to tell a friend and then make a complaint.

The second victim feared that Earl would rape her when he targeted her after a raid at her home in Bromley, south east London, the following September, the court heard.

After officers arrested her partner and left, he remained behind with her to take a statement.

But he started acting strangely, watching her in the kitchen as she made a cup of tea and asking about her sex life with her partner.

He then made several attempts to hug her, and she had to ward him off. She tried to get him to leave but he said he wanted 'a big cuddle'. He then tried to cuddle her, touching one of her breasts in the process. She eventually got him to leave, having given him a statement.

She did not report the matter until several months later, when she told a police officer she trusted.

'As a result of this incident she finds it extremely difficult to trust men,' Ms Farrelly said.

'She also states how the fact that the defendant was a serving police officer made what happened to her all the worse.'

When interviewed in February 2012, Earl denied the accusations, but later pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting both women.

Original report here




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