Ex-South Yorkshire cop faces prison oversexual relationship with "vulnerable" victim of crime
“It is highly likely there will be a custodial sentence. You have to face that fact”
A former South Yorkshire Police officer has been told he should prepare himself for prison, after admitting misconduct charges over a sexual relationship with a victim of crime and having sex whilst on duty.
Christopher Cave pleaded guilty to two counts of ‘holder of a public office wilfully neglecting to perform duty/wilfully misconducting himself’ during a Sheffield Crown Court hearing on Tuesday, April 28.
One of the misconduct charges Cave, of Harington Green, Formby, Liverpool, has admitted relates to him forming a sexual relationship with a “vulnerable female,” who was a victim of crime, with the offence date running between May 2004 and March 2011.
The second charge, which covers the same offence time period as the first, relates to Cave “having sexual encounters whilst on duty.”
Releasing Cave on unconditional bail until his sentencing hearing at the same court in June 2026, The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, told him a custodial sentence is “highly likely.”
He said: “You’ve pleaded guilty to two serious matters. It is always - as I’m sure you appreciate - a very serious matter when a police officer misconducts himself.
“I’ve formed no opinion about the case at the moment...you will be treated entirely fairly.
“But it is highly likely there will be a custodial sentence. You have to face that fact.”
Cave, aged 61, is understood to have been working as an officer in the Nottinghamshire area for the majority of the time covered by the offences.
He subsequently moved to South Yorkshire Police (SYP) in 2010, meaning he would have been a serving officer with the force for the final months of the offence period.
During that stint with SYP, Cave remained with them until 2017, before returning to the force post-retirement, firstly in a staff role, before becoming an evidence review officer.
Cave held that role when the allegations first “came to light” in 2022.
A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “The allegations made against Cave, now aged 61, were brought to our attention in 2022 and he was arrested and suspended from duties in June of the same year. At the time the allegations came to light, he was working at SYP as an evidence review officer as part of a retirement scheme available to people who have accumulated more than 30 years of police work.
“He had worked for SYP as an officer between 2010 and 2017 and returned to the force after retiring, firstly in a staff role and later in the evidence review officer role. He officially resigned from the force in December 2023, however following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings the internal misconduct process will still go ahead.”
Speaking after Cave pleaded guilty, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Constable Nicola Milner, said: "Being a police officer is a privileged role. It comes with a great deal of responsibility and a requirement to uphold the highest levels of professionalism and public service.
“This is something Cave clearly abused and fell short of.
"His conduct over several years falls far below what is expected from our workforce and does not reflect our values of policing.
“We are committed to being open and transparent about our officers' conduct and the victim in this case remains at the forefront of our minds. We now await sentencing in June."