Greater Manchester Police Detective Jailed for Sexual Assaults on Female Colleagues

Detective Sergeant Richard Mills, 42, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two female colleagues. The incidents occurred over the past decade during his tenure with the force, which began in 2006.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Mills engaged in inappropriate behavior, including placing a colleague’s hand on his crotch after discussing his sexual preferences and expressing dissatisfaction with his marital relations. Another victim recounted a similar incident where Mills forced her hand onto his crotch in a room with other individuals present, leaving her feeling “frozen” and humiliated.

During sentencing, Judge David Swinnerton highlighted that Mills was “enabled” and “emboldened” by a workplace culture within GMP’s lower ranks that discouraged reporting misconduct among officers. He emphasized the broader implications of such actions, stating, “When police officers commit offences like this, or any other sort of offence, you undermine every other officer because it does damage public trust in police.”

The court also noted that Mills had previously received a verbal warning for similar behavior, but no formal misconduct hearing was conducted at that time. In a statement read by the prosecution, one of the victims expressed her distress, saying, “How do you call the police about the police? I used to be such a happy, smiley and bubbly character and I feel the complete opposite. I just feel sad all the time.”

Following the sentencing, GMP Detective Superintendent David Jones condemned Mills’s actions, stating that he “gravely abused his position of trust and authority within the force.” He commended the bravery of the victims, acknowledging their “tenacity and strength” throughout the investigation and legal proceedings.

Mills, a father of two from Wardle, Rochdale, denied the charges but was convicted in December. He was acquitted of three other counts of sexual assault during the trial. His defense attorney, Hunter Gray, claimed that Mills had gained insight into his previous conduct and now recognizes that what he once considered acceptable banter was, in fact, inappropriate.