A police officer has avoided jail after “drunkenly” attacking a woman as she walked home alone.
Oliver Banfied of the West Midlands Police has been ordered to pay £680 by Leicester Crown Court and must also adhere to a curfew.
The PC admitted to assault by beating back in January.
The curfew prevents Oliver Banfied from leaving his home between the hours of 7pm and 7am.
Banfield has also been suspended from the West Midlands Police as a gross misconduct inquiry continues.
In a statement, the victim indicated that the investigation was long-winded. Saying,it took “more than 30 hours for an officer to take a telephone statement”, “nine days for an officer to come and see her” and “eight weeks for an officer to conduct house-to-house enquiries”.
The victim added, “During the assault as I struggled to get to safety, I was sure this drunk man was fulfilling a violent cop movie fantasy.
“To be verbally abused with misogynistic slang, grabbed by the neck, and forced to the floor on a dark road by a drunk man a foot taller than me is terrifying, but to then find that he was a police officer shook my belief system to its core.”
On behalf of the West Midlands Police, Deputy chief constable Vanessa Jardine said,
“Oliver Banfield was removed from public-facing police duties after the assault and while the investigation by Warwickshire Police was being carried out.
“We understand the strength of feeling surrounding the desperately sad death of Sarah Everard and concerns on the issue of women’s safety but it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this stage.
“Our role is to protect the public, who should be able to trust us. We, therefore, hold all our officers to the highest standards and we will take appropriate action against anyone whose actions fall below what is expected.”