Police officer found guilty of raping woman

The officer was working for Thames Valley Police Credit: ITV Meridian

A Thames Valley police officer has been found guilty of raping a woman in Oxford 15 years ago.

PC Richard Hale, 35, met up with his victim in pubs in Witney in December 2001- before taking her to a property in Carteron where he attacked her.

He was found unanimously guilty by a jury of one count of rape at Oxford Crown Court.

Pc Hale, who joined the Force in April 2003, was suspended from duty on 26 October 2015 and will be sentenced at a later date.

PC Hale was working for Thames Valley Police Credit: ITV Meridian

Assistant Chief Constable Jason Hogg said: "The conviction of Hale demonstrates that Thames Valley Police takes all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will investigate to ensure offenders, whoever they may be and regardless of any positions they hold, are brought to justice.

"The Force treats all allegations against our officers and staff with the utmost gravity. Our priorities in relation to protecting the public are clear - there is no place in the Force for those who commit offences of this nature.

"Victims of all sexual offences, regardless of when they occurred, should feel confident in reporting incidents to us."

A misconduct investigation by the force's professional standards department has been launched following Pc Hale's conviction.