Met detective jailed after trying to meet '13-year-old girl' for sex while on duty

27 April 2022, 11:01 | Updated: 27 April 2022, 13:52

Francois Olwage arranged to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl for sex
Francois Olwage arranged to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl for sex. Picture: Hertfordshire Constabulary

By Will Taylor

A counter-terror officer from the Met Police has been jailed for arranging to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex while he was on duty.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Detective Constable Francois Olwage was found guilty of three child sex offences after he tried to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl for sex.

Olwage, 52, who was working in the Met’s specialist operations unit, was accused of "grooming" what he thought was a 13-year-old girl he met on the Lycos online chat forum.

She was actually an undercover officer pretending to be the girl, working under the username "Smile Bear", then using the name Caitlin on WhatsApp.

Olwage, from Stevenage, tried to meet her as he spent two weeks exchanging sexually explicit conversations.

While on duty, but working from home, he travelled by train to meet "Cailtin" in Basingstoke, where she said she lived.

But he was instead arrested at a McDonald's by two undercover officers as he went to bought a McFlurry for his meeting with the girl.

A search found two condoms in his bag, a bottle of Wilko's brand lubricant and a pack of Tadalafil erectile disfunction tablet.

Olwage, 52, also had a box of Ferrero Rocher tablets, which are thought to have been a present for "Caitlin".

He was convicted of engaging in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause/incite a girl aged 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following grooming.

He also pleaded guilty at the start of the trial to an offence of improperly exercising his police powers and privileges in order to receive the "benefit of sexual gratification" by travelling to meet the girl while on duty.

He was suspended on his arrest but who remains a serving officer until a misconduct hearing on May 31, also denied any sexual interest in children.

Adrienne Knight, defending, said that Olwage, who had served with the Met for nine years and seven years for Hertfordshire Constabulary, had submitted a letter expressing his "sorrow for what he had done".

She said: "There can be no doubt he was trying to find a relationship, trying to find love.

"He wasn't looking for a 13-year-old but stumbled across it because of the way the police have encroached on these websites.

"If the police hadn't been on Lycos that day, he wouldn't have been before the courts."

She added: "This isn't entrapment but this was very close indeed."

Senior crown Prosecutor Marc Thompson from the CPS said: "Olwage's messages made it clear he believed he was in contact with a child. Despite this belief, he exchanged messages about sexual acts, and was grooming her.

"On the day he planned to meet with his victim, he abandoned his police duties to pursue sexual gratification from someone he believed to be a child.

"No actual children were in danger, but it has given us a glimpse into what this man is capable of doing when he thinks he can rely on the anonymity of the internet.

"This is made all the more serious because he has broken the trust of the public he has sworn to protect."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Strict rules on electric car sales will be tweaked following backlash from manufacturers

Strict rules on electric car sales will be tweaked following backlash from manufacturers

A Russian T-80 tank in the Donetsk region of Ukraine

Ukraine says Russian overnight blitz set new record for number of drones used

'They're all fatsos': Boris Johnson blames the Church of England for obesity crisis

'They're all fatsos': Boris Johnson blames the Church of England for obesity crisis

A pub landlord has revealed why he launched a petition to have Labour call a General Election

Pub landlord reveals why he started viral petition signed by two million people calling for fresh General Election

Exclusive
Leanne Lucas has spoken about the Southport attacks for the first time

‘I lost faith in the world’: Teacher of Southport dance class where three girls were killed speaks for the first time

Breaking
Emergency crews working to find anymore missing tourists have found three bodies

Three bodies recovered from capsized yacht off Red Sea - with 13 still missing

Police have released images of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the attack

Man in his 30s stabbed 19 times with screwdriver in horror east London mauling near Tube station

Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr

Philippines investigators summon Duterte over threats against President Marcos

Eight employees at the Nana Backpacker Hostel have reportedly been arrested.

Eight Laos hostel staff arrested after six tourists die in mass 'methanol poisoning'

The bridge in Bareilly

Three cousins die after Google Maps 'told them to drive off unfinished bridge' as they came home from wedding

A protester holds a poster during a rally near the Parliament building in Tbilisi to demand new elections in Georgia

President and opposition boycott first session of Georgia’s new parliament

'Social security is a two way street' says Employment Minister as Starmer vows to 'get Britain working'

'Social security is a two way street' says employment minister as Starmer vows to tackle Britain's 'inactivity spiral'

Supporters of jailed Pakistani former premier Imran Khan confront police firing tear gas in Islamabad

At least six killed in violence as Khan supporters breach Islamabad lockdown

Marcus Fakana, 18, is facing 20-years behind bars.

Family of Brit teen facing 20 years in Dubai prison over fling with 17-year-old girl pleads with country's ruler for help

Rescuers use heavy machinery to search for victims after a landslide in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Rescuers recover 20 bodies from flash floods and landslides on Sumatra

A north London road closed for a neighbourhood street party during national bank holiday

New bank holiday 'planned for next year' as Brits 'to get 4-day weekend to celebrate 80th anniversary of WW2'