A serving officer has been found guilty of bombarding his former partner with calls, texts and WhatsApp messages despite being told numerous times to leave her alone.
On Tuesday, 19 December, PC Benjamin Bunsell, attached to Central South Command Unit, was found guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court of one count of stalking without fear, alarm or distress.
He will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 18 January 2024.
PC Bunsell’s relationship with the victim ended on June 22 and over the course of the following 10 days he called, text and sent WhatsApp messages despite her telling him multiple times to leave her alone, blocking him and changing her mobile number.
On 29 June PC Bunsell managed to get her new mobile number and called it from a withheld number continuously during the early hours of the morning, until the complainant answered and spoke with him.
The court also heard that from 25 June onwards the victim started getting doorbell notifications in the middle of the night and saw PC Bunsell walking past the front of her house and looking toward the property.
The victim reported PC Bunsell’s behaviour to police on 3 July and he was arrested the following day. He was rearrested on 28 July and charged the following day.
Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, responsible for policing where PC Bunsell is based, said: “PC Benjamin Bunsell was persistent, entitled and quite clearly could not take no for an answer. Even when she changed her number, PC Bunsell still found her new number and continued his barrage of calls and messages all at times to cause maximum disturbance to the victim. PC Bunsell couldn’t stop at incessant calls and messages, he had to go to the victim’s house too.
“PC Bunsell has been held to account criminally and he will also be held to account via the Met’s own misconduct processes.”
Anyone with information about a police officer or member of staff who works for the Met and is corrupt, abusing their position and power, can call the
Anti-Corruption and Abuse Hotline, run by the independent charity Crimestoppers, on 0800 085 0000 or complete the online form at www.crimestoppers-org.uk.
