SIMON FERNS, FORMER MERSEYSIDE POLICE OFFICER, SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL COURTROOM

In May 2012, Simon Ferns, a former police officer with Merseyside Police, received a 15-month prison sentence after being convicted of a sexual grooming offence involving a 15-year-old girl. Ferns, aged 43, was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court following a trial, and subsequently dismissed from the police force after a misconduct hearing.

Chief Superintendent John Young of Merseyside Police condemned Ferns' actions, stating, "Ferns’ behaviour was completely unacceptable," and reaffirmed that "no officer is above the law." In addition to his prison sentence, Ferns was ordered to sign the Sexual Offender Prevention Order for eight years, which restricts him from having unsupervised contact with children under 16 unless parental supervision is present. He is also required to register as a sex offender for ten years and faces a lifelong ban from working with children.

The investigation into Ferns’ conduct was conducted by the Professional Standards Department, overseen by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Prior to his conviction, in March 2012, Ferns was found guilty of grooming a vulnerable 15-year-old girl from Wirral. The verdict was delivered after a jury of peers deliberated for three hours, uniformly finding him guilty. Ferns, then a community ward manager for Clatterbridge in Wirral, had denied the grooming allegations throughout the trial.

During court proceedings, Ferns appeared open-mouthed as the jury reached its verdict and was seen whispering, “I’m gobsmacked,” upon being led out of the courtroom by supporters. The court learned that Ferns met the girl, who was only 13 at the time, when he began patrolling her neighborhood. He became involved with her following repeated calls to her home about her family’s anti-social behaviour, and he gave her his personal mobile number.

The prosecution revealed that the girl had previously been in trouble with local girls, accused of stealing their boyfriends. Ferns’s defence argued that the girl was frequently drunk and promiscuous, stating she had been caught performing a sex act and was taken home by a female colleague. Ferns claimed he was trying to "keep her on the straight and narrow," even suggesting he might be her boyfriend. However, jurors rejected these claims and concluded that he had been grooming her.

Neil Fryman, the prosecutor, described Ferns as “infatuated” with the girl and criticized his attempt to portray his actions as helpful. He stated, “You are hoping against hope that this story of yours will be believed. You were blinded by the infatuation you had. You were like a fireman going and spraying lighter fuel on the fire. You were infatuated with her to such an extent that you would do anything to keep what you had going.”

Ferns denied physically touching the girl or finding her attractive but admitted to telling her he loved her, lying with her on his super king-sized bed watching Disney DVDs, giving her lifts in his police van, and falsely claiming she was his daughter to her teachers. He also called her ‘Hannah Montana’ after the children’s TV show and lied to his lodger, claiming she was 17.

His barrister, Bernadette Baxter, acknowledged that Ferns was aware of the likely sentence he would face. Judge Robert Warnock agreed to a pre-sentence report and granted Ferns bail pending sentencing scheduled for the following month.

MS Naseem Malik, Independent Police Complaints Commissioner, praised the efforts of Merseyside Police, saying, “Ferns forged a relationship with a vulnerable young girl, which would have been inappropriate for anyone of his age, but especially for a police officer who was supposed to be assisting the family. His behaviour was totally unacceptable. I would like to praise the work of Merseyside Police in investigating. They demonstrated commitment to bring Ferns to justice.”