Ian Naude

PC Ian Naude, a 30-year-old policeman from Market Drayton in Shropshire, was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court of raping a 13-year-old girl and several other serious sexual offences against children. Described by the court as a 'committed paedophile', Naude joined Cheshire Constabulary in April 2017 with the explicit intention of gaining access to vulnerable young girls, likening it to 'gaining the keys to a sweetshop', as revealed during his two-week trial.

The rape occurred in October 2017 after Naude was called to the girl's home to attend a domestic incident. He subsequently looked her up on Facebook, exchanged sexual messages and photos with her, and returned three days later to pick her up while her mother was out. Driving her to a secluded country lane, he raped her in his car, filming the attack on his mobile phone. The footage was played to the jury during the trial, where Naude denied the rape and sexual assault charges, claiming the encounter was consensual and that the girl 'seemed to be enjoying it'. The prosecution highlighted his predatory behaviour, including using fake social media profiles under names like 'Bruce Wayne' and 'King of the North' to groom underage girls.

In addition to the rape, Naude was found guilty of four charges of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence and one charge of arranging a child sex offence, relating to five complainants aged between 12 and 15. Prior to joining the police, Naude had admitted 31 offences relating to grooming underage girls via fake Facebook and Snapchat profiles. Investigations revealed a consistent pattern in his communications: he would initiate contact by saying 'Hi, you look pretty and interesting', quickly escalate to demanding nude images, and threaten to expose the girls to their friends if they refused. Originally from South Africa, Naude's actions demonstrated a calculated exploitation of his position as a police officer.

Despite passing the vetting process in October 2016, allegations of sex offences investigated by two neighbouring forces in early 2017 were not detected before he became a student officer. Following suspicions, Naude deleted over 750 photos from his phone after being inadvertently copied into investigation emails due to an administrative error. He also concealed a second phone and laptop in a field in Market Drayton, which Cheshire Constabulary said frustrated and set back the investigation. Det Ch Supt Aaron Duggan of Cheshire Police described Naude as 'a sexual predator, a groomer and he's also a chancer', emphasising that he joined the police intentionally to commit such offences. Acting Chief Constable Janette McCormick noted that while Naude appeared to have worked alone, the force was investigating other potential offences by him and reviewing internal processes.

Judge Clement Goldstone warned Naude that he faced a 'very significant sentence', noting that even the defence had conceded he was 'fairly depicted... as a cold, uncaring, selfish and cruel paedophile'. An NSPCC spokesperson condemned Naude's claim of consent as 'evil'. Naude was convicted on 8 November 2018, with sentencing scheduled for 13 December 2018. The case, reported by BBC News, underscores serious failings in police vetting procedures.