Former special constable jailed for sex offences

A former special constable has been jailed for 22 years after being convicted of multiple sexual offences against adults and children.

Wissem Bonafia, a former special constable with Northamptonshire Police, was sentenced after an investigation that began in 2020 uncovered indecent images and videos involving children, as well as a series of offences against an adult woman.

Police arrested the 48-year-old at his former home in Barton Seagrave after receiving intelligence that he possessed illegal images of children.

Following a two-week hearing, a jury found him guilty of 12 offences on 30 March.

He returned to court on 26 June, when he was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Det Cons Caroline Knight said: "Bonafia's actions represent a gross abuse of trust and a clear violation of the standards expected of anyone in a position of responsibility."

During the original arrest, investigators found indecent images and videos of girls ranging from prepubescent age to 17 years old, many of which Bonafia had created himself.

The offences took place between 2014 and 2019.

Bonafia was arrested again in 2022 and charged with a number of offences, including child sexual offences, actual bodily harm, rape, assault by penetration and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

During the trial, he pleaded guilty to five counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child and five counts of actual bodily harm.

He was found not guilty of three counts of rape, one count of assault by penetration, one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child and one count of taking an indecent photograph of a child.

Det Insp Lee Jones added: "Bonafia's crimes are a disgrace to the uniform he once wore, and I hope this investigation and subsequent result at court reassures the wider public that we will do all we can to root out individuals like him."

Bonafia resigned as a special constable in November 2021.

A gross misconduct hearing in February 2023 concluded that, had he still been serving, he would have been dismissed without notice.

The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a victim surcharge.

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