Former inspector who carried out unwarranted strip searches found guilty of sexual offences

A former police officer has been found guilty of non-recent sexual offences relating to strip searches, following an investigation by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Operation Marmion team.

Gerard Hutchings, of Wingrove Road, Ashurst, had denied 11 charges, including counts of indecent assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

But today (Monday 30 March) at Bristol Crown Court, following a two-week trial, a jury found him guilty of all charges.

The 66-year-old had already admitted 17 counts of misconduct in a public office at a previous hearing.

Hutchings will be sentenced for all offences at the same court on Friday 24 July.

The charges related to offending that took place between 1999 and 2007 at various police stations across the force area including the New Forest and north Hampshire, when Hutchings worked as an inspector.

They occurred while the 18 male victims, aged between 17 and 31 at the time, were alone with Hutchings in police stations.

The victims reported being subject to an unjustified and illegal strip search by Hutchings, while being administered a caution or reprimand for a minor offence.

He also sexually assaulted some of them during these procedures.

During the trial, eight victims gave evidence of how they felt during these unwarranted strip search procedures.

Many of the victims said that Hutchings justified the strip searches as being something they could expect should they end up in prison.

In 2008, Hutchings was jailed for 16 months, after admitting 11 misconduct in a public office offences for similar offending that took place in 2007. He was sacked in 2007 after the complaints were made, following a fast-track disciplinary procedure.

In 2020, the force started a new investigation after receiving a report from a man who had been subject to a similar strip search in 2005.

The investigation was led by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Operation Marmion team, who investigate allegations of non-recent sexual abuse perpetrated within institutions or by people of prominence.

As part of the investigation, officers cross-referenced Hutchings’ police notebook with police records to identify 373 people who came into contact with him at a station.

All those people were visited in person by officers, who used a non-leading questionnaire to establish whether they had been subject to any offences.

From there, a further 17 people provided statements on video detailing their experience of Hutchings.

Speaking after the jury’s verdicts, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said: “When someone comes into contact with our officers and staff, they should be treated with respect and professionalism.

“Hutchings’ behaviour was vile and degrading and clearly nowhere near the expectation we have of our officers.

“He was rightly sacked from the force when his offences first came to light in 2007.

“In 2020, when we received another report of his offending from around the same time period, we undertook a thorough investigation to establish the extent of Hutchings’ offending.

“Thanks to the bravery of the victims in recalling their experience, and the hard work of investigators, Hutchings now faces another spell in prison for his awful behaviour.”