Former Police Officer Sentenced to Three Years for Sexual Assault
A former West Yorkshire Police officer has been jailed for three years after sexually assaulting a vulnerable single mother he was assigned to protect. Patrick Banks, 42, admitted to misconduct in public office and sexual assault, with the sentencing taking place at Sheffield Crown Court.
Grotesque Abuse of Position
Judge Jeremy Richardson KC condemned Banks for grotesquely abusing his position as a police officer. The court heard that Banks was working in the specialist adult safeguarding unit of West Yorkshire Police, where his duty was to investigate sexual crimes against vulnerable women. Instead, he exploited his authority to commit a sexual assault.
The victim, a homeless single mother with two children, had previously reported a sex assault in Leeds in April 2025. Banks was assigned to her case but used it as an opportunity to prey on her vulnerability. He asked her to translate messages from French, which he had generated using Google Translate, including inappropriate content such as "I want to take off your underwear with my teeth."
Pattern of Inappropriate Behavior
Prosecutor Mark Bates detailed how Banks messaged the woman from his personal phone and visited her off-duty in his own car, while giving the impression he was on official police business. He also bought presents for one of her children and viewed her social media over 100 times. The court was told that Banks made similar inappropriate contact with a second woman who had reported a sexual assault, recovering 53 pages of messages and asking her about personal matters, including her past employment as a sex worker.
Officers found the second woman’s mobile phone in Banks’s house after he falsely claimed it was taken for forensic examination. West Yorkshire Police had only one official record of Banks visiting either woman’s home on police business, highlighting the extent of his misconduct.
Impact on the Victim
Facing Banks in court, the victim outlined how his actions had devastated her life. She stated, "What revolts me today is that the man who was supposed to protect me took advantage of this vulnerability." She added that the trauma has prevented her from seeing the beauty and goodness in the world, emphasizing the profound emotional and psychological impact of the assault.
Banks joined Essex Police in 2019 and moved to West Yorkshire Police in 2022, resigning in September 2025 following the allegations. The judge noted that his serious misconduct eclipsed his professional duty, describing him as unhampered by scruples of any kind.
