Cop dubbed "PC Predator" jailed for second time for having sex with victim of crime

In February this year, 41-year-old Stuart Trentham was jailed for nine months for misconduct in a public office, after he sent inappropriate messages to the victim of an alleged sex offence, who he met in the course of his policing duties.

Trentham was sent to begin his second prison sentence just moments ago, after he admitted committing an identical offence - this time abusing his role as a police officer to have consensual sex with a different victim of crime.

Sending Trentham to begin an 18-month prison sentence, The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, told him: “This is a grotesque breach of trust by a police officer. It is immaterial that the complainant in the case consented.”

He described the fact that this is now Trentham’s second conviction for “identical” misconduct in a public office as “outrageous.”

“You are a disgrace to the police force,” continued Judge Richardson.

“Police officers have a high position in society, they are an essential component of a civilised society.

“The public place faith in police officers to do the right thing and behave with propriety. You betrayed that trust.”

Trentham, who appeared in the dock wearing a blue suit and grey shirt, spent much of the hearing with his head in his hands.

Prosecutor Joseph Bell told a hearing held this morning (Wednesday, August 20, 2025) that the misconduct Trentham was being sentenced for took place two years before the matter which led to his first prison sentence.

Mr Bell said Trentham, of Station Lane, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, met the complainant after being dispatched to her home, following a break-in.

Following the burglary, Trentham and the complainant engaged in messaging that was initially “personable,” but later became “flirtatious and sexualised.”

Trentham attended her home around a week later, whilst on duty, and the pair engaged in consensual sex, Mr Bell said.

Trentham blocked the complainant’s number “immediately after” their encounter, the court heard.

Mr Bell suggested it was “telling” that the complainant had saved Trentham’s number under “PC Predator” in her phone.

He added that Trentham was the complainant’s local police officer.

Due to the lockdown measures in place at the time, the complainant felt “worried” and was concerned that what had taken place between them could result in her becoming “alienated” from accessing policing services in her community.

Mr Bell said the complainant’s friend encouraged her to report what had transpired with Trentham, but she did not want to at that time.

“It was only when she watched a documentary about Wayne Couzens and police misconduct that she realised what he [Trentham] did was wrong,” Mr Bell said, referring to the notorious murder and rape of Sarah Everard perpetrated by Couzens while he was still a serving Metropolitan Police officer.

The complainant subsequently decided to report Trentham’s conduct after she saw the press coverage concerning his first conviction.

“In fact, she felt she allowed the other incident to happen because she didn’t report this incident at the material time,” Mr Bell said.

Trentham pleaded guilty to holder of a public office wilfully neglected to perform duty/wilfully misconducted himself/herself during the course of today’s hearing.

The court heard how Trentham became a police officer in 2018, and abused his position to commit this offence two years later in 2020. He subsequently committed the other misconduct matter, for which he received a prison sentence, by sending inappropriate messages to a different victim of crime in 2022. Trentham was suspended from South Yorkshire Police in 2022 following his arrest for the first matter. He subsequently resigned from the force in December 2023.

Defending, Curtis Dunkley acknowledged that Trentham had “used his position” as a police officer to “take advantage of a victim of crime and engage in sexual activity.”

Mr Dunkley argued, however, that Trentham’s prison sentence could be suspended, due to the mitigating factors in place such as his clean criminal record, prior to these misconduct matters.

He said the time Trentham had already spent in prison, initially at HMP Doncaster, had been “substantially more difficult given that his area of policing was the South Yorkshire area.”

Trentham was subsequently moved to a prison in Humberside, due to the difficulties, but Mr Dunkley suggested this resulted in further hardship, due to it taking him out of the area and away from his family.

Mr Dunkley also suggested Trentham was likely to find the prison environment more challenging, as a result of conditions including autism, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Trentham is now a father to three children, aged three, five and eight, and Mr Dunkley said they were detrimentally affected by his absence during his first prison sentence, and had been given counselling to help them cope.

Sending Trentham to begin his second stretch behind bars, Judge Richardson said he had taken his mitigation into consideration.

He concluded, however, that Trentham’s case “demands a prison sentence of substance” in order to reassure the public that a police officer who commits this form of criminality will be “punished severely” by the courts.

“You are the author of this disaster,” continued Judge Richardson.