A POLICE constable who had been working for West Mercia Police has admitted corruption after attempting to engage in sexual relationships with three alleged female crime victims.

Rhett Wilson indicated guilty pleas to three charges of corrupt or improper exercise of police powers and privileges by a constable while working for West Mercia when he appeared before magistrates in Worcester on Thursday.

The 26-year-old did not indicate a plea to a further charge of committing an act or series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice which involved the alleged deletion of data from his phone.

The first improper use of police powers happened between December 8, 2019 and March 10, 2020 when he 'being a constable of a police force in England and Wales, namely West Mercia Police, exercised the powers and privileges of a constable improperly in that you continued contact with a complainant in an offence which you had been assigned to investigate in order to commence, maintain and develop a personal and sexual relationship and you knew or ought to have known that the exercise was improper.'

Wilson indicated a guilty plea to a second, identical charge in relation to a different complainant between October 12, 2019 and April 4, 2020 and another identical charge in relation to a third female complainant between October 21, 2019 and February 3, 2020.

The defendant did not indicate a plea to committing an act/series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice.

It is said that on or before March 10, 2020, with intent to pervert the course of public justice, he did an act which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice in that he deleted data on his phone.

Ralph Robyns-Landricombe, prosecuting, said all four matters were indictable-only and asked the case to be sent to the crown court for a plea and trial preparation hearing.

Magistrates declined jurisdiction for the case.

The defendant of Kirkee Road, Tidworth appeared by way of a postal requisition and unconditional bail was granted ahead of a plea hearing at Worcester Crown Court on December 16.