A POLICE officer who had sex with a domestic violence victim while he was on duty would have been dismissed for gross misconduct if he had not already retired, the police watchdog has said.

Malcolm Bennett, formerly of Northumbria Police, had sexual relationships with two vulnerable women he met through work, an investigation found.

Five allegations of gross misconduct, including sexual activity on duty and unlawfully accessing police computer systems for information, were found proven at a disciplinary hearing held in private earlier this week, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

The panel found that Bennett breached standards of honesty, integrity and confidentiality.

In April 2017 he started a sexual relationship with a woman who had been the victim of a crime.

He had already started a year-long sexual relationship with a vulnerable crime victim he met in September 2016.

In both cases he had driven to the women’s homes in a police vehicle, while on duty.

He also used the police computer to check on two other women and sent them texts of a sexual nature.

Following the IOPC investigation, he was charged with offences under the Data Protection Act and admitted them in August 2019 at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, the police watchdog said.

IOPC regional director Miranda Biddle said: “Both women were clearly vulnerable and had been victims of domestic abuse.

“He breached the high standards of professional behaviour expected of police officers and rightly would have been dismissed if still serving.

“We will continue to use our learning from such investigations and provide guidance to assist police forces to identify abuses of position for sexual purpose and inappropriate behaviour at the earliest opportunity.”

After the hearing, Superintendent Steve Ammari, head of professional standards at Northumbria Police, said: “Malcolm Bennett abused his privileged position for his own selfish gains and his behaviour was completely unacceptable.

“We want to reassure the public that the actions of this individual are in no way representative of the officers and staff who every single day display the highest levels of professionalism and commitment to the communities we are proud to serve.”