Faran Hanson, 26, was a Special Constable with the force when a woman came forward to police in May 2021 to report receiving an explicit image via Snapchat.
An investigation was launched, and Hanson was identified as the sender of the image. He was arrested and his job was immediately suspended.
Further inquiries led to the identification of more women who had received offensive and indecent images from Hanson via social networking sites.
“Upon receiving a report that sexually inappropriate and explicit images had been shared by a serving Special Constable, we acted quickly to arrest Hanson and seize his devices,” said Detective Superintendent Delphine Waring, head of the force’s Professional Standards Department.
Hanson’s behaviour is heinous and far below what we expect of any officer or staff member. “Because he refused to accept responsibility for his crimes, this case had to go to trial, and I am pleased that he was convicted based on the substantial evidence presented to the court.” This was largely due to the testimonies of the women Hanson targeted with his communications. I commend the victims for cooperating with our investigation and bravely testifying in court about what happened.”
Hanson was found guilty of three violations of Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, including using a public electronic communications network to send a grossly offensive or indecent message. This came after a trial at Leeds Magistrates’ Court.
Hanson was sentenced to a two-year community order, 60 days of rehabilitation activity, 200 hours of unpaid work, and costs. Each of his victims was also served with restraining orders.
Hanson remains suspended from duty following the conclusion of the court case.
