Married police officer jailed for having sex with sister of crash victim he was assigned to support

Publish date: 2024-05-07

A married retired police officer has been jailed for 21 months for having sex with the sister of a crash victim he was assigned to support through her grief. Ian Mynott, who was 41 at the time, had been appointed as a family liaison officer to the mourning family following a road accident in Kent in 2001.

While he was meant to be supporting the family in their difficult time, Mynott began a sexual relationship with the dead man's sister, who was 20 years his junior. The officer took her to the crash scene, where he cuddled the woman, then to a friend's house and even his own home while his wife and children were downstairs - where the pair cuddled again.

Less than a month after her younger brother's death, Mynott has consensual sex with the woman, who was 21 at the time. However, the inappropriate relationship began to sour when the woman's family voiced concerns "after the display of certain behaviours by the defendant".

READ MORE: Man and woman rushed to hospital after 'acid attack' in North London

The officer then began calling his victim a "sl*g" and untrustworthy and started isolating her from her friends, resulting in a decline in her mental health. After the inquest into her brother's death, when police contact with a family is usually over, Mynott carried on seeing the victim on the pretence it was to help her.

The victim ended the relationship in 2003 and after she found out Mynott had also had a relationship with another family member, and reported it to police in 2018. The woman gave police evidence of emails and diary entries that documented the events as they were happening.

The documents showed Mynott, who was then married, making arrangements to meet the victim in private, and asking her to lie about their relationship. There was also evidence of control and abuse directed towards the victim, police said.

Now 64, Mynott, who retired in 2007 from Kent Police after spending 30 years in the force, was arrested at his home in Chester, Cheshire, in March 2019 and later charged. At Maidstone Crown Court on Friday (December 9), Mynott was jailed for 21 months after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office in September. He was also ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to his victim within six months and £670 in court costs.

Mynott remained impassive in the dock as Judge Oliver Saxby told him he had targeted his victim, causing "incalculable" harm. Prosecutor Ben Wild told the court: "The defendant, who was then 41, was assigned to the deceased's family as a family liaison officer. At this time he was married with a child. He began showing his victim what she described as special attention - giving her money to pay for petrol and taking her to the scene of the accident where he cuddled her from behind."

After going to a friend's house to cuddle, Mr Wild added: "At this time he told her he thought she had been flirting with him. He later took her to his home where he cuddled her upstairs as Mynott's wife and children were downstairs.

"She later revealed how shocked she was by this. And then a day before the funeral he told her: 'By tomorrow my involvement will be over and you won't see me again unless we have a different relationship'. He then kissed her. Later he took her to his home while his wife was out and they laid on the bed with their clothes off although she refused to have sex. She was then let out of the house just as Mynott's wife had returned."

She told the court Mynott exploited her grief for his own gain. In a victim impact statement read to the court, she said: "My brother's death came as a huge shock to me and was traumatising. My world was turned upside down. He exploited this for his own gain. I was often very distraught and confused. I simply did not not know how to cope with life.

"PC Mynott created divisions, secrets and lies in my family at a time when we were all struggling to process things and he was meant to be supporting us." She said the officer had diminished her self esteem by "his emotional and sexual abuse".

"In a nutshell he made me feel worthless by constantly undermining me at a time when I was having severe emotional trauma," she added. The victim, who sat in court for the hearing, added: "PC Mynott took advantage of me at a very vulnerable time of my life. He was in a position of power, trust and took away my chance to grieve for my brother. He has shown no remorse for his actions."

Mynott, who joined Kent Police in 1977 and retired in 2007, was arrested in 2019 telling officers, "it's not what it seems...it's really not". Detective Chief Inspector Matt Talboys said after the sentencing: "The overwhelming evidence presented showed Mynott abused his position by forming sexual relationships with vulnerable, grieving victims.

"The public rightly expects the highest standards of professionalism from police officers and staff and the vast majority of Kent Police officers serve with the utmost integrity. We will always take action whenever potential wrongdoing within the force is reported to us and I hope this reassures the public that Kent Police takes a robust stance, regardless of their occupation or when the offence occurred."

Do you have a story you think we should be covering? Email ella.bennett@reachplc.com

Do you want the latest London travel, crime or transport news straight to your inbox? Click here.

READ NEXT:

Read More
Read More

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rsXLqKWdp55ju6bD0milnq%2BjZMKsedaoqaWcXaOyuL%2BOppirqpmasW68zqWgnJ1dpLOntcKeqWaikZ65prCMoZivoZ6cenOBlmxoaWlp