South Yorkshire Police officer 'mortified' over sexual assault trial and breast photo accusations, court told

Hinchcliffe, aged 46, spoke in evidence at Leeds Crown Court today and claimed his interactions with the claimant, during a night in a Wath-upon-Dearne pub in 2020, was a consensual act. He is alledged to have pulled the, then 18-year-old, claimants top down before taking a picture.

On Wednesday, the jury heard a police interview in which the claimant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, explained how she and the defendant were part of a group drinking in the pub on October 3, 2020. She said the conversation included her own desires for breast augmentation, which led to Hinchcliffe pulling down her top, taking a picture and sending it to a colleague.

In his evidence on Thursday, January 5, Hinchcliffe admitted he took the picture, insisting it was consensual, but denied pulling the woman’s top down. He said the group had been drinking for around seven and a half hours and enjoying “getting drunk and giddy”. He claimed the complainant had joined the group and began talking about having a “boob job” and she pulled her top down to show her cleavage.

Hinchcliffe said he then held her top in the same position and asked if he could take a picture to send to an absent colleague, PC Ian Dillon. He said he asked: “Can I show him? Can I send it?" He told the court: “She either consented to it or she implied that she was consenting… This is why I'm mortified it's come to this. She was laughing and giggling."

The defendant, who is married with four children, also admitted sending the woman messages on WhatsApp later that evening, which included sexually explicit emojis. He said he knew there were things he should not have said. “When I've been sober enough to realise what an idiot I have been, I've apologised… I'm absolutely mortified. I'm disgusted I'm here. It's wholly embarrassing, it's shameful."

PC Ian Dillon, Hinchcliffe’s colleague, told the court, earlier in the day, he had replied to the photograph with “You're going to get locked up”. He said: "My feeling was a combination of being quite angry, because I was with my wife at that point, and a little bit shocked as well.”

PC Dillon said he had earlier received images from Hinchcliffe, who has been suspended from South Yorkshire Police, of two women with arms in front of them and had warned the defendant to “behave yourself”. "I felt obliged to make a bit of a challenge to it, in a casual sort of way,” he said, "I didn't want to come across as too stern with him, but I wanted to flag up my concerns."

Yesterday, prosecutors told Leeds Crown Court, Hinchcliffe had simulated “ejaculating into her breasts” by flicking beer foam down the claimants chest and “grunting”. The jury heard Hinchcliffe - who is 25 years older than his alleged victim - said she had a “bum like a 12-year-old”.

The trial continues.