PC Adnan Ali scoops yet another award - and poses proudly for a picture with then Chief Constable Ian Hopkins.
The top cop had no idea the officer he had just handed a 'Citizens in Policing' gong to - for inspiring teenagers from troubled backgrounds to join the police - had been abusing his reputation to groom youngsters to satisfy his own perverted sexual desires.
The picture was taken in the summer of 2018 - in October of that year Ali, who led GMP's growing cadet scheme in Trafford, was arrested, and his sleazy conduct began to unravel. Detectives would later suspect he may not have been acting alone.
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As the investigation into 'Adz', as he was known, continued, in February 2019 detectives arrested a second pervert police officer who was part of the same Trafford cadet scheme, PC Christopher Dunn.
The pair knew each other, and the M.E.N. understands they went on at least one outward bound trip with each other where they were trusted to look after the young cadets in their care.
Dunn, who admitted his crimes, was jailed in July 2019. The police constable abused his position by collecting thousands of images of female officers and police cadets as young as 12, before posting manipulated sexualised pictures on paedophile websites. "I'm not like one of those paedophiles who touch children. They make me sick," Dunn told detectives, trying to make a virtue of never having actually touched anyone inappropriately.
Now Ali, who denied his offending, has been handed a five year prison sentence after a jury convicted him of 15 offences of misconduct in public office and five offences of sexual assault following a trial.
The many awards he won for his work with the Trafford cadet scheme helped cement his reputation as someone who could be trusted. In 2016 he was handed another 'Citizens In Policing' award, again by the then chief constable Hopkins who said in the press release: "It’s always humbling to meet those who give up their free time to help others, and these awards really highlight what a huge contribution volunteers make to Greater Manchester Police every single day. The time and dedication that these people give is truly remarkable."
The prosecutor at Ali's trial, Anna Whyte KC, told the jury: "These awards were widely publicised within GMP and they enhanced Adnan Ali’s reputation as a cadet unit leader and as an officer who enthused and inspired cadets."
Although Ali, from Old Trafford, and Dunn, from Salford, knew each other, in the end the detectives who investigated their crimes concluded their unhealthy interest in youngsters wasn't shared.
Asked if there was a link between the pair's offending, a spokesperson for GMP said: "Though Ali and Dunn were both involved in Trafford Volunteer Police Cadets, there is no evidence of a link between their offending or that either were aware of the other's behaviour."
To the outside world, Adnan 'Adz' Ali was a respected police officer who had overcome his own demons to become a mentor to young wannabe cops.
He was trusted by parents and the teenagers who enrolled on the police cadet scheme he led from Stretford police station for Greater Manchester Police.
But public perception masked a terrible truth - the officer who had Superman emblazoned on his leader’s hoodie and underpants was using the Trafford Volunteer Cadet Scheme as his own 'grooming playground', touching his charges inappropriately, sometimes kissing them and on two occasions sending them a picture of his penis.
But in April Ali, 36, from Old Trafford, was finally exposed as a predator after a jury at Liverpool Crown Court convicted him of sexually assaulting two teenage girls and a 17-year-old boy and misconduct in public office involving sexualised conversations with six other teenage boys involving him asking for and sending indecent images to some of them.
Ali began running the cadet scheme from the summer of 2013 having returned to work after suffering a serious knife injury earlier that year while on duty, an incident which led to him suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
The officer was happy to talk publicly about the attack but for his victims this will have been a part of a cynical attempt to build a reputation as a man of empathy who could be trusted.
Ali was interviewed by the M.E.N. in 2017 about the attack. He was called to a house in Old Trafford where a man produced a knife and began hacking at his head. He said he suffered night terrors and flashbacks. He locked himself in a police cell for 24 hours to raise more than £1,000 for the charity Moodswings.
But the appearance of public spirit hid something sinister.
During the trial Anne Whyte, prosecuting, said that the training scheme was not properly run and he had crossed obvious boundaries with the young cadets. “It was as if Adnan Ali had decided to throw the rule book out,” she told the jury.
Ali often made late night inappropriate phone calls to some of the victims and sent some photographs of him in the bath or on the toilet.
He formed a relationship with another cadet who gave birth to his son but his lawyer told the jury that he is bisexual. His behaviour also included him trying to kiss a 17-year-old cadet and massaging his shoulders, offering to take another 17-year-old boy to a brothel and fondling two teenage girls.
The trial heard he sent hundreds of messages to one teen boy, who thought the PC was 'a bit of a creep' and responsible for 'constant weirdness'.
Ali had a habit of signing off these messages with kisses, said the cadet.
The boy began following Ali on Twitter aged 15 at the officer's suggestion, and the quantity of messages became excessive - sometimes running into hundreds a day.
On one day alone there were 336 exchanges between. The young man told jurors about the kisses that after the first time he responded in a similar fashion, but then felt 'it was a bit awkward if I didn’t put them back'.
Ali told him he was likely to get an apprenticeship and he would be his line manager. During a break in the interviewing process the boy and other cadets went to a local McDonalds - Ali was also there and suggested the boy follow him on Twitter, which he did.
He also suggested he could go to the gym with him after work, an offer the boy turned down. He said that Ali asked him about his love life and what 'his type' was.
He said Ali would ring him late at night and mention having a bath. He sent the youngster photographs of his bath water and his bath and even texted: "I need someone to scrub my back xxxxxx."
Sentencing Ali, Judge Denis Watson, KC, told him: "You were in a highly trusted position. The senior officer responsible (for the cadet scheme) changed frequently so you were in day to day control of the scheme...As you were in charge you ignored the guidelines as you thought they didn't apply to you."
Judge Watson KC added that he "knew" running the scheme in an informal way would enable him to become "very close" to young people who would "look up to you". He added that Ali became "very skilled" at "making them feel special despite the age gap".
"You behaved in the most disgraceful way," Judge Watson KC said. Ali was said to have messaged the young people inappropriately "relentlessly".
"It was a gross abuse of power and a gross abuse of trust," Judge Watson KC added. "The impact on these individuals is considerable." The judge went on to say Ali has heavily damaged public trust in the police with a particularly high breach of trust. "The gains for you were your own sexual gratification," Judge Watson KC told the court.
Dunn, who was jailed for four years and four months in 2019, is believed to have completed his jail term. In total Dunn collected more than 3,600 images of police cadets, and more than 7,500 images of colleagues.
He had also downloaded more than 20,000 indecent images of children, with a further 100,000 indecent images which prosecutors said had not been classified because it wasn't in the public interest to pursue them.
Following the case, an NSPCC spokesperson said: "Adnan Ali underwent specialist training to work in the police service and would be aware of how devastating sexual abuse can be for young people. Despite this knowledge, he abused his position within the force to groom and assault those who looked up to him.
"This was an appalling abuse of power, and our thoughts go out to those who were abused by Ali. We hope they are receiving all the support they need. It’s crucial that anyone who has experienced abuse feels able to speak out and seek support, no matter who the perpetrator was."
Adults can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 8005000, email help@nspcc.org.uk or seek guidance at www.nspcc.org.uk. Children can speak to Childline counsellors by phoning 0800 1111 or through the Childline website, www.childline.org.uk.
