DAVID TAYLOR POLICE OFFICER IN KILMARNOCK EXPOSED FOR SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND CHEATING VICTIMS

A police officer named David Taylor, based in Glasgow, exploited his position of trust by sending explicit texts and selfies to women he had previously investigated for crimes such as domestic abuse and sexual assault. The 37-year-old officer harassed two women who reported domestic abuse and a third woman who had been sexually assaulted, sending them offensive messages, images, and videos.

Taylor went as far as boasting about wanting to cuff one woman to a bed and act out scenarios from Fifty Shades of Grey. His misconduct began shortly after he dealt with his first victim’s police complaint. Just an hour after the initial contact, he started bombarding her with inappropriate, flirtatious, and sexually explicit messages, pictures, and videos. He told her he wanted to arrest her, cuff her to a bed, and have sex with her.

He also sent nude photos and videos of himself in the shower to another woman, whose ex had threatened to kidnap her daughter. Following an investigation into his conduct, Taylor has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register and has been warned that he could face imprisonment for breaching the trust placed in him.

The details of his actions came to light during a court appearance at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, where Taylor pleaded guilty to four of the 13 charges against him. He admitted to targeting three vulnerable women between 2011 and 2018. His guilty pleas included sending indecent images to a woman who was sexually assaulted, stalking her, engaging in indecent communications with another domestic abuse victim, and sending inappropriate images to a third domestic abuse survivor.

Prosecutor Peter Moyes recounted that Taylor’s first victim, then 39, had contacted police in 2011 due to issues with her ex-husband. Taylor initially advised her that it was a civil matter and offered some guidance. However, about an hour later, he began messaging her with flirtatious and sexually explicit content. The woman responded politely but clearly did not wish to engage further, and eventually deleted Taylor’s number. These messages, however, only surfaced again in 2019 during a separate police investigation.

His second victim was a 20-year-old woman assaulted in Kilmarnock in 2016. Taylor, who was assigned as the reporting officer for her case, later contacted her via Snapchat in 2017, identifying himself as “PC David Taylor.” Over three months, he sent her nude images of himself, commented on her appearance, attended her home during working hours and expressed romantic interest, even mentioning “wish you were here” in messages. He also viewed her Snapchat story and later messaged her about her location, which she had displayed publicly, making her uncomfortable.

He referenced arresting her, cuffing her to a bed, and having sex with her, additionally drawing parallels to scenes from Fifty Shades of Grey. He also sent her naked pictures of himself. The woman felt disgusted and decided to block him but was scared to do so because she believed he was in a position of authority over her. She did not explicitly tell him to stop contacting her.

The third victim contacted Kilmarnock police after her ex threatened to kidnap her daughter. She suspected her ex was impersonating a police officer due to the content of the messages Taylor sent. Taylor initially sent her a photo of his face, then continued messaging her, calling her “gorgeous” and sharing nude images and videos of himself in the shower.

The police investigation was initiated after the woman’s lawyer informed authorities about the messages when she was arrested for an unrelated offence. Officers from Police Scotland traced the messages back to Taylor. Sheriff Alistair Watson warned Taylor to prepare for a possible jail sentence, adjourning the case until next month for background reports.

Chief Superintendent Andrew McDowall from Police Scotland’s Professional Standards Department condemned Taylor’s conduct, stating, “The conduct of David Taylor was appalling. He breached the trust of the female victims he engaged with, and the trust of the wider public. I thank the victims for bravely reporting his deplorable actions, allowing officers to make an arrest and protect other women from this behaviour. We will respond to all reports of sexual crime irrespective of who the offender is. We will carry out detailed and thorough investigations and will be responsive to the needs of each victim.”

As a result of his misconduct, David Taylor was immediately suspended from duty and had no further interaction with the public as a police officer. Chief Superintendent McDowall added, “Had he remained a serving officer, he would have been reported for gross misconduct, which could lead to dismissal without notice.”