Wissem Bonafia

A former special constable with Northamptonshire Police, Wissem Bonafia, has been convicted of 22 sexual offences following a complex investigation that uncovered a series of heinous crimes against vulnerable women and children.

In 2020, Northamptonshire Police received intelligence suggesting that 48-year-old Bonafia possessed illegal images of children. Officers attended his address in Barton Seagrave in August of that year, where they arrested him and seized multiple electronic devices. Forensic examination revealed numerous indecent images and videos of females ranging from prepubescent age to 17 years old, many of which Bonafia had recorded himself. The offences spanned from 2014 to 2019.

Bonafia was charged with a total of 24 counts, including six counts of rape of a woman aged 16 or over, one count of assault by penetration with an object, six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, five counts of taking an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child, four counts of making such material, one count of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child, and one count of perverting the course of public justice. Two additional charges were added during the trial: one count of rape and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in non-sexual activity.

• The trial commenced on 16 February 2026 at Northampton Crown Court.
• On the first day, Bonafia pleaded guilty to five counts of taking indecent photographs of children and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
• As the two-week trial progressed, he pleaded guilty to four further counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
• On 30 March 2026, the jury found him guilty of 12 additional offences.
• He was acquitted of three counts of rape, one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child, and one count of taking an indecent photograph of a child.

Lead investigator Detective Constable Caroline Knight praised the victims' bravery, stating: "They have shown great bravery in supporting our case and providing their evidence in court, despite experiencing the most heinous of crimes perpetrated by a person who knew what he was doing was wrong." She also thanked the digital forensics team, including Jeff Wells and Michelle Mallison, as well as retired Detective Inspector Helena Congreve and the prosecution led by King's Counsel Sam Skinner and Laura Blackband.

Bonafia resigned from his special constable role on 9 November 2021. An accelerated gross misconduct hearing on 16 February 2023 concluded that, had he still been serving, he would have been dismissed without notice. Detective Inspector Lee Jones remarked: "Bonafia’s crimes are a disgrace to the uniform he once wore, and I hope this investigation and subsequent result at court reassures the wider public that we will do all we can to root out individuals like him."

The case was reported by the Northampton Chronicle and Echo on 31 March 2026, highlighting Northamptonshire Police's commitment to pursuing sexual offenders regardless of their position.