A police officer has admitted to penetrative sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl in Northamptonshire after recording the act on the victim’s phone.
PC Luke Christopher Horner of Thames Valley police travelled to Rushden, a town about 18 miles east of Northampton, while off duty to commit the offence on 11 June.
The 24-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual activity with a child at Northampton crown court on Thursday.
A second count, of making an indecent image of a child, was removed from the indictment. The prosecutor, Ben Gow, said the offence formed part of the sexual activity.
He said the defendant had recorded the act on his victim’s phone. “I understand that the pleas are entered on the basis he did record, and the phone was in his hand,” he said.
“The phone was not his phone, it was belonging to the child in question. It can be seen in his hand in the video. We regard this as one of the culpability features of the offence in question.”
Horner, who is based in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, entered his plea over a video link from HMP Peterborough in Cambridgeshire.
Northamptonshire police brought the charges against Horner. The Thames Valley force has suspended him from duty and launched a separate misconduct investigation.
It has also referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Horner, who is a former member of the armed forces, is alleged to have been in touch with the victim on Snapchat before the incident.
In a statement after Horner was charged, the police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley, Matthew Barber, said he had commissioned a review into the vetting process behind his appointment.
“In holding the chief constable to account, I need to feel fully satisfied that the force has the appropriate processes in place to enable it to root out corruption and behaviours that have no place in our society, let alone in policing,” he said, adding the force was also undertaking a full review of its vetting decisions.
Judge Rebecca Crane remanded Horner into further custody until sentencing at the same court on 8 September.
PA Media contributed to this report
