Edinburgh crime: Police officer Johnathan Dunlop banned from contacting sex assault victim for life

A police officer who sexually assaulted a friend while his partner slept in the next room has been banned from contacting the victim for life.

Johnathan Dunlop, 32, stripped the woman naked before groping her when she stayed over at his flat following a night out socialising with his girlfriend. The PC claimed the sexual contact between the pair was consensual but he was found guilty of sexual assault following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.

The disgraced constable, of Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, returned to court for sentencing on Friday where a sheriff described his conduct that night as “shameful behaviour”.

Defence agent Pamela Rodgers told the court Dunlop now “accepts responsibility for his behaviour “ and there is a potential diagnosis of autism for her client though that has not been confirmed.

Ms Rodgers said Dunlop is currently suspended from Police Scotland “but knows he will have to resign” following the court case. 

The court heard the victim has suffered long lasting effects following the sex assault including body dysmorphia, relationship difficulties and being signed off work with stress.

Sheriff Julius Komorowski placed Dunlop on a three year supervision order, told him he must complete 300 hours of unpaid work and stay within his home between 7pm and 7am for the next 12 months.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for three years and handed a non-harassment order where he cannot approach or contact the victim for an indefinite period.

The sheriff also imposed a non-harassment order on Dunlop not to contact two other women involved in the case for a period of five years.

Previously the court heard the police officer and the woman had been friends for several years before the sex attack at his former home on December 4, 2022. The victim said she had been out socialising with Dunlop’s former girlfriend and returned to stay overnight at his flat at the capital’s Bonnington area.

The woman said the police officer made up a sofa bed for her to sleep on and he had pounced on her after she had returned from using the bathroom.

She said: “Johnny was in the living room when I came back from the bathroom. He came over to me and lifted up my top and my breasts were exposed. He was standing directly in front of me. He looked at me and then put both hands on my breasts. I didn’t really know what was going on.

“After this he took off my trousers. I was standing. He was standing. He had his hands on my hips and pulled them down. All I remember is that my pants are coming off and I thought ‘why are my pants coming off?’”

She said she was “frozen” during the attack and that “the next thing I remember I was lying on the bed”. She said: “I don’t really know how I got there or if I was conscious the whole time or not.

“When I was lying on the bed I was completely naked. He was standing in between my knees. He was just standing there and that is when the alarm bells went off.”

The court was told the sex assault took place while Dunlop’s former girlfriend was sleeping in the next room.

A Police Scotland Spokesperson said: “We are aware of the outcome of the court proceedings and a report is being prepared for the Professional Standards Department National Conduct Unit. This behaviour does not represent Police Scotland’s values or standards of professional behaviour.”