Off duty South Yorkshire Police officer 'took photo down woman's top' at pub

An off-duty police officer pulled down a young woman's top and photographed her breasts during a night out, a jury has been told.

The woman, who was 18 at the time, told detectives in a video interview played in court how South Yorkshire Police officer Paul Hinchcliffe later sent her sexually explicit messages.

In the interview played at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, the woman described how she and the defendant, who was then 43, were in a group drinking at a Wetherspoons pub in Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, on 3 October, 2020.

She said he made suggestive comments to her and later started flicking foam from his beer at her.

"Then he got his phone and kind of pulled my top open and took a picture down my top," she said.

The woman, who lived with her parents, described how she went back to an empty house. She said: "I just absolutely cried my eyes out - I was absolutely hysterical."He later sent her a message saying: "Sorry, I'm just drunk."

The woman described how another police officer with Hinchcliffe that night was also acting inappropriately, including putting his hand on her thigh.

She said this officer told her she reminded him of his daughter, to which Hinchcliffe responded: "You don't tell birds they remind you of your daughter."The woman told the officers: "I feel like I don't want to go out in low-cut top and leather trousers any more."She added: "At the same time I feel guilty. I don't know why. I feel like I could've said something at the time."Hinchcliffe, now 46, who had a role training police officers at the time, denies one charge of sexual assault.

Louise Reevell, prosecuting, told the jury how the defendant presented a prepared statement at one of his police interviews denying he had assaulted the woman by pulling down her top and photographing her breasts.

In the statement, he said the group had been discussing the woman's "boob job" when she opened up her top and pulled it down to show her cleavage.

He said she consented to him taking a photograph.

The officer, who lives in Wath, said in his statement it was something "everyone found hilarious".

The trial continues on Wednesday.

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