Former Bedfordshire police officer jailed for sexually exploiting girls

A former police officer who sexually exploited teenage girls he met online has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Elliot Wright was a constable with Bedfordshire Police when a 17-year-old girl got into a car with him and them briefly disappeared together on March 21st.

An investigation found the 30-year-old had spoken to the girl on social media for weeks and offered another child £3 for indecent images, police said.

Wright, of Henlow, Bedfordshire, was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court after admitting two offenses: aiding and abetting the sexual exploitation of a child, abducting a child without lawful authority and committing an unlawful act.

Bedfordshire Police suspended Wright, a roads policing officer, after he was arrested on the day of the incident on March 21 and later dismissed him from the force.

A Misconduct Hearing noted in September that he would have been fired if his review had not already been overturned.

Interim Police Chief Dan Vajzovic said Wright was a “deviant sexual predator” who “assaulted and groomed” girls for his sexual gratification.

“There is no excuse for his behavior,” the official added.

The 17-year-old girl from Hertfordshire was the subject of a false imprisonment when Wright targeted her, police said.

This meant that she was under constant supervision in a nursing home and was not free to leave the home.

Nursing home staff contacted police after seeing her get into the car with Wright, who later told her to delete any messages she had from him.

Following his arrest, investigators later tracked down another victim – a 16-year-old who Wright had offered £3 in return for indecent images of her.

It was discovered Wright had also searched online for the disciplinary proceedings against police officers who committed sexual offenses against children, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Paul Robson, a senior prosecutor, said the former officer knew his victims were at risk and “he took advantage of that”.

“We hope his sentence sends a clear signal that we will not hesitate to bring charges against those who exploit young people for their own twisted purposes,” he added.