A former West Midlands Police student officer has pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a vulnerable 13-year-old girl he’d met on-line.
Ex-PC Haider Siddique, 22, was arrested after a bus driver spotted him acting inappropriately towards the victim on a bus March last year whilst he was on long term sick leave. The bus driver’s actions alerted the police and our subsequent enquiries identified the victim.
Siddique resigned whilst in custody and today was found guilty of sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to commit a sexual act, child abduction and grooming.
Siddique joined the force in August, 2021, but had been off sick since November that year and was never deployed to an operational role. He has now been remanded pending sentencing on 3 March.
Deputy Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine said: “This was a sickening criminal act by a former student officer, who appeared to be offering support to this vulnerable young girl but was in fact grooming her sexually.
“We did not hesitate to arrest Siddique and have carried out a robust and meticulous investigation to establish the full extent of his abuse.
“We are committed to rooting out any member of staff who engages in criminality whenever we find evidence of it.
“Siddique’s crimes will have significantly impacted upon his victim, and I know his fellow officers will be repulsed by his behaviour.”
Siddique resigned whilst in custody. After the Criminal Court case has concluded, the force will convene a ‘former officer’ misconduct hearing.