Judge praises Norfolk police

A judge today praised the way Norfolk police had rooted out a rogue officer who was found guilty of unlawfully issuing cautions and warnings to teenagers to boost the number of detected crimes recorded against his name.

A judge today praised the way Norfolk police had rooted out a rogue officer who was found guilty of unlawfully issuing cautions and warnings to teenagers to boost the number of detected crimes recorded against his name.

PC Dominic de Souza, 31, from Attleborough was found guilty of nine counts of wilful misconduct in public office. He was cleared of two charges and today Judge Peter Jacobs discharged the jury after they failed to reach a verdict on one remaining count.

His case was adjourned for reports and De Souza is due to be sentenced on July 8.

De Souza,'s future as a serving police officer is also uncertain as will also now have his position reviewed following his conviction.

Judge Jacobs said that when the case had come to light, Norfolk police had made sure they had rooted out the problem and he commended Det Sgt Phillip Gray of the professional standards department and PC Holly Whitehead, who had shown courage to give evidence against her fellow officer during de Souza's trial.

After the case acting deputy chief constable, Kevin Wilkins said: 'The corrupt actions of this officer had the potential to unnecessarily criminalise young people and weaken the integrity of Norfolk Constabulary, neither of which will be tolerated. As soon as his suspicious activity came to light, through an internal system, the constabulary launched a thorough and extensive investigation which led to today's finding of guilt.

'It is important to stress that this officer acted alone - there is no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved. I am also reassured by our professional Standards team that they are satisfied that measures are in place to prevent any similar occurrence in the future.'