Former Norfolk police officer sentenced for sexual assaults
Ben Poole, 26, was placed on the sex offender register for five years and fined £2,000 for the two counts of sexual assault
A former Norfolk police officer who sexually assaulted two people has been sentenced.
After a four-day trial at Ipswich Crow Court last month Ben Poole, age 26, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault on a man and another count of sexual assault on a woman in Norwich on 1 October 2022.
The jury found him not guilty of sexual assault on another woman on the same evening.
Poole was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court today (Friday 29 August) and was placed on the sex offender register for five years, fined £2,000 for the two counts of sexual assault (£1,000 for each count), and ordered to pay £3000 costs and a surcharge of £800.
During the trial, the court heard the assaults involved Poole sexually touching the victims without their consent during the course of an evening while he was off duty and celebrating a birthday at a Norwich nightspot. He was asked to leave the nightspot by security due to his drunkenness.
Poole was a serving police officer based in the Great Yarmouth during the time that the offences took place. He was suspended as soon as the allegations were reported to Norfolk constabulary’s Professional Standards Department (PSD).
The misconduct process by Norfolk Constabulary was paused until the end of the criminal investigation and subsequent trial so as not to prejudice any criminal proceedings.
After the trial ended an accelerated misconduct hearing was held on August 18 2025, and Poole was dismissed from the force for gross misconduct.
Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: “I expect the highest standards of behaviour, honesty and conduct from all those employed in the constabulary.
"I want to thank the victims and witnesses who came forward and told us what happened. It is because of them, their courage and resilience that we have been able to put Poole before the court.
“The public rightly expects officers to uphold the law when on and off duty. This type of behaviour is wholly reprehensible and has no place in society or policing.”