(Image: Newsquest)
A police officer has been convicted of molesting three women in a York nightclub.
Martin Brough, 44, is the second police officer this week to be found guilty of a sexual offence at York Crown Court.
Neither officer works for North Yorkshire Police.
Brough told a jury he had been in the police for two decades and had told staff at Popworld he was a firearms officer, York Crown Court heard.
The jurors heard how he roamed the revolving dance floor at Popworld with one hand by his side, reaching out and touching women on the bottom from behind as they danced.
Prosecution barrister Michael Morley said Brough put his hand up one woman’s dress while she was kissing another man.
Brough, of Morley, who was off duty at the time of the offences, had denied three counts of sexual assault.
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After watching CCTV of him in the club and hearing from him and staff at the club, the jury convicted him unanimously of sexually assaulting the woman who had been kissing another man and convicted him by a majority of the other two charges.
He hid his face and moaned slightly as the verdicts were delivered.
The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, adjourned sentence while a probation officer prepares a pre-sentence report on him and released him on bail.
Brough will return to York Crown Court to learn his fate on December 3.
After he had left court, the judge told the jury that according to sentencing guidelines his offences were not the kind that would lead to an immediate prison sentence.
Under a new law passed earlier this year, all prison sentences of 12 months or under have to be suspended unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Brough told the jury he had drunk 10 beers before going to the nightclub during an 11-hour pre-Christmas drinking session with old friends from the three armed services.
Brough will now face a disciplinary hearing.
Prior to being charged he was an officer with West Yorkshire Police’s Operational Support Unit.
PC Lavender is also suspended from West Yorkshire Police. He will be sentenced next month.