North Yorkshire PC Matthew Fisher jailed for sex assaults Published duration 3 May 2013

image caption Matthew Daniel Fisher was jailed for 15 months

A North Yorkshire police officer has been jailed for sexually assaulting two women while on duty.

Matthew Fisher, 37, of York Road, Selby, also admitted two charges of misconduct in a public office relating to sexual activity on duty.

Judge Michael Mettyear, sitting at Hull Crown Court, jailed Fisher for 15 months.

Fisher's barrister told the court the married father-of-two had "brought disgrace and shame upon himself".

Judge Mettyear said he accepted Fisher had done good work as a police officer.

But he told him: "You let yourself down, let your family down and let the police force down."

'Sex pest'

The judge said: "You clearly have a high sexual appetite and you found it difficult to resist feeding that whenever you could."

Jurors heard the twice-married officer would meet women while he was on patrol in the Selby area and flirt with them, often offering his sexual services in their homes.

Some of the sexual contact was consensual while other acts were not, the judge heard.

The court heard how one of the sex assaults Fisher carried out involved him putting a woman's hand on his genitals when she asked for a lift during a call-out.

Fisher was also convicted by the jury of assaulting a pub landlady by pulling up her top to look at her breasts and putting her hand on his groin.

The judge said the woman had got fed up with Fisher's constant suggestive and inappropriate behaviour whenever he came into contact with her.

He told him he was making a nuisance of himself "as a sex pest".

The court heard Fisher had been commended during his career in the police.

His barrister, Steven Crossley, told the judge: "He's brought disgrace and shame upon himself but demonstrated that, on occasions, he was a brave police officer and, on occasions, he was prepared to put himself at risk for others."

Fisher was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault against two women and one misconduct charge relating to using a police computer to look up personal details.

He admitted charges of misconduct in relation to having consensual sex while on duty.