The courts have caged a police officer who raped a woman in Wiltshire four times.
Nicholas Peel was a serving constable with Thames Valley Police when he carried out numerous sex attacks on his victim between 2015 and 2020.
The 55-year-old, previously of West Overton near Marlborough and now of Rochford, Essex, was found guilty of four counts of rape and one count of attempted rape.
The offences —involving the same victim— took place in Wiltshire while he was off-duty, and did not relate to his policing role.
At Winchester Crown Court today (Monday), he was jailed for nine years and must register as a sex offender indefinitely.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Jo Newbery said: “I’d like to praise the victim in this case for having the courage and conviction to see this case through, which has resulted in Nicholas Peel being jailed for his abhorrent actions.
“Peel repeatedly targeted her and raped her over a number of years, and then denied the offences, forcing her to relive the experiences through a trial.
“Her incredible bravery in giving evidence and statements ensured that Peel was found guilty by jury for his crimes, and he now faces spending several years behind bars.
“I hope that this sentence inspires others who have suffered sexual violence to come forward and report incidents to the police where we will endeavour to support you.”
Peel retired from Thames Valley Police, where he worked as a PC in Newbury, in December 2024 – while under investigation for gross misconduct.
In March 2025, a hearing found proven a number of allegations relating to the misuse of the force’s communications and IT systems without a policing purpose.
Peel wrongly used his work-issued police radio to listen to other forces’ channels while on a final written warning for another matter.
He also accessed police systems to viewed footage and amend records, and used hundreds of gigabytes of data on his work phone while on sick leave, far exceeding the permitted limit.
It concluded that had Peel not retired, he would have been sacked from the force for his behaviour.
