Police officer admits stalking ex after sending riot van to her house

16 July 2021, 16:20

A police officer from Shropshire has admitted stalking his ex after falsely reporting she had broken Covid rules and arranging for a riot van to visit the victim's address.

Stephen Green, who was with West Mercia Police, admitted a single charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The 60-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared at Dudley Magistrates' Court on July 8.

Green, who was married with children, had a four-year affair with the victim. But he began stalking her after it ended in August 2020 and she started a new relationship .

The officer got a man to report the woman and her new partner for a drink-driving offence and made two false reports of Covid breaches using fake personal details.

He also "instructed other police officers to carry out address checks at the victim's homes and the homes of her mother and new partner," a spokesperson for the CPS said.

The officer, based at Shrewsbury police station, even arranged for a riot van to check out the victim's home address. The stalking left her in such distress that she put her house up for sale and moved in with her mother.

Fiona Cortese, from the CPS, said: "Police officers are trusted to uphold the law, yet Green broke the law to cause serious distress and anxiety to a woman who had moved on with her life after their break-up.

"He abused his position to access and use resources that members of the public would not have access to."

She added: "His guilty plea came following an investigation by the police, a detailed review by the Crown Prosecution Service which led to further evidence being requested and obtained.

"When the case was presented to the court, the evidence against Green was overwhelming and resulted in an early guilty plea being entered."

Green was charged in May and has since resigned from the police force according to prosecutors.

Chief Inspector Helen Wain, of West Mercia Police's professional standards department, said: "We are aware that Stephen Green, who was a West Mercia Police officer, has pleaded guilty to a stalking offence.

"The officer has since resigned from the force.

"A review will now take place in relation to misconduct matters."

Green will be sentenced next month.