A former Surrey Police officer who abused his position by sending sexual messages to a vulnerable crime victim has avoided jail.

During sentencing at Winchester Crown Court, the judge said former police constable Ross Martin, 35, had committed a “betrayal of trust and expectation of the police”.

At the hearing, Judge Dugdale said Martin had only escaped an immediate custodial sentence by pleading guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office at an earlier hearing held on February 3.

Martin was given a two-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months and was issued with a five-year restraining order against the victim, as well as being ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay a £250 fine.

The offence involved a number of incidents which occurred over a two-week period in January 2024, during which Martin behaved inappropriately towards a vulnerable victim of crime, engaging in multiple phone calls and sending messages of a sexual nature, which clearly took advantage of the victim’s vulnerabilities.

Judge Dugdale described Martin’s behaviour towards the victim while on public duty as “unprofessional” and said that he should have “supported the victim as a professional” in the way that the public expect of police officers.

He went on to say that his offending was “a betrayal of trust and expectation of the police, which leads to a loss in trust and public confidence”.

Martin resigned from the force on February 25, just before an accelerated gross misconduct hearing took place on February 28, which found that his actions amounted to gross misconduct and breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct.

The chair of the hearing determined that had Martin still been a serving officer, he would have been dismissed and directed that he should be placed on the college of policing barred list.

Detective Chief Inspector James Ansell from Surrey Police’s Anti-Corruption Unit, said: “The judge said today that Ross Martin had only escaped a custodial sentence due to his early guilty plea.

“The investigation against Martin, who was a serving Surrey officer at the time, uncovered numerous inappropriate text messages and images he had sent to a woman he had met in the course of his duty. She was not only a victim of crime but was also extremely vulnerable.

“Criminal offences committed by our officers and staff simply cannot be condoned. Allegations against any of our officers or staff are always subject to a thorough investigation to ensure that those who do not meet the high standards expected of them to in order to maintain public trust and confidence are dealt with swiftly and robustly.

“As well as the sentence handed down by the court today, an accelerated gross misconduct hearing was also determined that Martin had breached the policing standards of professional behaviour, and that had he not resigned, he would have been dismissed.

“We recognise the impact this case will have both on the Surrey public and our own officers and staff, particularly with the current focus on standards. Thankfully, the majority of our officers and staff come to work each day to protect the public and do so with honesty and integrity.”