RYAN HILL

A former armed police officer from Hertfordshire has received a suspended sentence after engaging in sexual communications with a 14-year-old girl.

Ryan Hill, aged 36, who served in the armed policing units across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire, persistently contacted the girl via messaging platforms, including during shifts at work.

He was dismissed from his position for gross misconduct in February, but specifics could not be publicly disclosed at the time due to a pending criminal case.

This case concluded last week.

Between February and March 2024, Hill solicited photographs from the girl and proposed meetings.

He admitted to trying to communicate sexually with a minor and was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court to 24 weeks in jail, suspended for 18 months.

He was also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for seven years, ordered to undertake rehabilitation, and registered as a sex offender.

Following his misconduct, Hill was immediately suspended and subsequently resigned before a disciplinary hearing.

At that hearing, he was added to the barred list, preventing him from working in law enforcement again.

Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst criticized Hill’s predatory actions, stating they reflected a serious lack of integrity.

He emphasized that Hill’s behaviour was deliberate and self-gratifying, not an error of judgment.

The chief expressed concern that such conduct erodes public trust in the police force and warned that without intervention, Hill could have continued this pattern, possibly harming others.

He stressed that such behaviour is unacceptable and has no place in policing.