Police officer sexually assaulted girl after turning off bodycam on 999 call

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A cruel police officer has been jailed after he was was caught sexually assaulting a girl under 10 during a call to her home.

When PC Dean Dempster was summoned to an Oldham residence in 2023, he turned off his body camera and sickeningly assaulted the girl. Later, he used his own phone to snap a photo of the abuse. Reports of 'screaming and yelling' inside the family home prompted the uniformed response officer and other police officers to be called.

The 35-year-old led the child to a room to question her about what had happened, but instead molested her, according to testimony given at a sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court today (November 13). Later, his little victim showed another family member how Dempster, from West Didsbury, had touched her genitalia after pulling down her pyjamas and underpants, reports the Manchester Evening News.

"He did this to me - I'm not lying," the girl told the family member, Liverpool Crown Court heard. Prosecutor Vanessa Thomson said that when the girl was told about the importance of telling the truth, the girl said: "That's the truth. That's what he did to me."

According to a subsequent police investigation into Dempster, it was found he had a 'sexual interest in children' and before he had started his shift that day he had accessed websites after searching for 'girls in diapers and pull ups', 'girls in nice underwear' and 'little girls on the beach and pool'.

The court heard that his inspector told Dempster that he had been the subject of a complaint regarding the sexual touching of a child after he paraded on for duty the following day. A 'gap' was found in his police body-cam footage, and he was placed on restricted duty.

When the officer made an 'unsolicited comment' alleging the girl had pulled her pants down when he asked her to lift her top to check for bruising, his inspector became suspicious and Dempster was arrested, said Ms Thomson.

The defendant's personal mobile phone was seized but analysis showed he had already 'systematically' deleted the contents and applications, the court was told. He had deleted an app called 'secret photos - KYMS' which allows users to store encrypted media. He also deleted other apps including Grindr and an app allowing frame-by-frame slowdown of video.

The prosecutor told the court that while police searched the officer's home, they found an iPad, a Sony phone, a bundle of four pairs of folded children's pants, shredded underwear in a bag, a disc containing images, two hard drives, two sex toys, condoms and lubricant inside a safe hidden in a wardrobe.

His partner was 'visibly upset' when the discoveries were made. Dempster's DNA was later found on two of the pairs of knickers, one of them from semen. When his child victim was video interviewed, the youngster revealed the defendant had 'properly' pulled her pants down and put his head to look at 'it', using the torch on his phone.

She said he didn't speak and touched her 'privates'. Afterwards, Dempster was said to have told her: "You can pull your pants up. I'm done." The girl said she was scared and left 'shaking'.

Police later uncovered nearly 3,000 child abuse images on his devices, including 104 of the most serious 'category A' type. Among the images were 'pseudo-images' in which Dempster superimposed his body onto the image of a child so it looked like he was having sex with them.

David Jones, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, was now trying to come to terms with being 'society's personification of odium and opprobrium'.

He said the defendant, who spent three years with GMP, apologised for his behaviour and 'its consequences' and wished to point out his colleagues in the force were 'blameless'.

Jailing Dempster, Judge Stuart Driver KC told him: "The public places its trust in police officers. Your crimes betrayed the public, your colleagues and worst of all a vulnerable young child whom you were pretending to protect."

He handed Dempster an extended sentence 'for the public protection' of 14 years. It includes a 'custodial' element of nine years which allows him to apply for release to the Parole Board after six years.

Dempster admitted sexual assault on a child under 13, misconduct in a public office and six counts of making indecent images of children. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign the sex offenders' register for life.

After the hearing, Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said: “I am angry and appalled at this abhorrent abuse of responsibility and trust. We commend the bravery of this young victim for coming forward. We apologise to her family and know nothing will ever undo the harm Dempster has caused to his victims.

“Dempster represents the very worst of society. He is not a police officer; he is a child sex offender, a criminal, and he has no right to be near police uniform or serve the public. Dempster was rightfully arrested and charged before he could ever work in our communities again.

“We have thoroughly reviewed Dempster’s vetting and can confidently say there was nothing to remotely suggest he had a sexual interest in children. He was a man with a career in public service and his record showed no signs of warning.

“Dempster is a depraved exception who we have wasted no time in dismissing and disowning. The thousands of officers he has let down are committed to the protection of children in Oldham and Greater Manchester, and anyone who undermines this priority has no place in GMP.”

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