A Thames Valley Police officer recorded himself sexually assaulting a young girl on her mobile phone while off duty, a court heard.

Former Pc Luke Christopher Horner travelled to Rushden, Northamptonshire to attack the 13-year-old on June 11.

In a hearing at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday, the 24-year-old, who was based in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual activity with a child.

Horner resigned as an officer on July 26, TVP confirmed following his plea.

A second count, of making an indecent image of a child, was removed from the indictment, with prosecutor Ben Gow claiming this offence formed part of the sexual activity.

He also said the defendant recorded the act on his victim's phone.

He said: 'I understand that the pleas are entered on the basis he did record [the sexual activity] and the phone was in his hand. The phone was not his phone, it was belonging to the child in question.

'It can be seen in his hand in the video.
We regard this as one of the culpability features of the offence in question.'

Northamptonshire Police said following Horner's plea that he had travelled more than an hour from his home in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, to commit the offence. 

Wearing a light grey suit, white shirt and blue tie, Horner spoke only to confirm his identity and enter his plea over a video link from HMP Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire. 

Charges against Horner were brought by Northamptonshire Police, but TVP suspended him from duty and launched a separate misconduct investigation after referring the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Judge Rebecca Crane remanded him into further custody until sentencing at the same court on September 8.

Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs, of Thames Valley Police, said: 'We are all appalled by Luke Horner's crimes, and our thoughts are with the young woman who has been affected and her family.

The bar at which standards are set in policing is rightly high.

'Anyone who falls below those standards in this way betrays the public's trust and confidence in policing and the values of the profession as a whole. I welcome his admission of guilt and resignation from the force.'

Detective Sergeant Sarah Osborne, who led the investigation for Northamptonshire Police, said: 'First of all, I want to thank the family of the young girl in this case who put their trust in us to investigate it and situs slot777 bring Luke Horner to justice.

'I am pleased that he has pleaded guilty today which has prevented them from having to go through the trauma of a trial, and I hope that whilst what happened can never be erased, this result will allow them to move forward.

'Cases of child sexual exploitation are always abhorrent but the fact that Luke Christopher Horner was a serving Thames Valley police officer, in a position of trust, makes this case all the more shocking.

'He is a disgrace to the uniform and I am glad that he will now go to prison and never be allowed to call himself a police officer ever again.

'Finally, I would like to thank Thames Valley Police for their support and assistance with our investigation.'

Detective Inspector Liam O'Neill, of Northamptonshire Police, said: 'Following a thorough investigation led by DS Osborne, Northamptonshire Police has been able to secure a guilty plea from Luke Christopher Horner, who betrayed everyone's trust by committing these offences.

'The young girl in this case has been subjected to abuse from someone who not only should have known better but who was sworn to protect the public.

We thank the family for their support and hope that this result helps restore some trust in the police.

'This is another example of the great work we are doing in Northamptonshire to protect the public in cases of serious crime committed against children.'