Police officer jailed over sexual assault

A Devon and Cornwall Police officer has been jailed after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman.

PC Simon Mitchell, 43, of Bideford, was jailed for three years and ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register at Bristol Crown Court.

Mitchell, who denied a charge of sexual assault by penetration, was found guilty on 12 September after a nine-day trial.

The force said Mitchell would be subject to internal misconduct proceedings with the outcome to be published in due course.

The charge was linked to an incident while he was off-duty in Exeter on 9 June 2022, the force said.

It said it was first made aware of the allegations in September 2022, with Mitchell immediately suspended from duty after he was arrested.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the victim was being supported by specialist officers and hoped the sentence handed to Mitchell would "give her some sense of closure".

"We are as committed as ever to rooting out predatory behaviour and protecting women and girls from sexual violence," he said.

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].