Yorkshire police officer posed as modelling agent on Instagram to approach children online

Douglas Macdonald, an ex-Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer, once boasted that his “military mindset” helped him to connect with vulnerable people.

The 37-year-old first began communicating online with the teenage victim - Miss A - in May 2017, where he exchanged sexual and nude photographs with her. He also showed the victim, who had was vulnerable and had a background of self-harming, 'forceful' pornography.

The year after she met, she ran away from her home and was picked up by Macdonald in a police car, in a 'twist of fate.' The police officer had been assigned the missing person case, and saw her in person for the first time that day. The hearing heard how he also set up Instagram pages which purported to be modeling pages and had an 'established process' to make contact with children.

Macdonald would then talk to them on Snapchat because it felt like 'a more secure platform from which he (could) have conversations with children and adolescents.'

Daniel Hobbs, who is on the counsel for South Yorkshire Police's professional standards department, said: "If there was ever a time to draw back, it was now, and he doesn't. The evidence shows the online sexual relationship doesn't stop.

"Fired up from the day's events, on that very evening, the former officer contacted Miss A and, on video call over Snapchat, showed her the pornographic video he was watching while he was m***********."

Mr Hobbs then explained the graphic nature of Macdonald's communication with Miss A, including him asking her 'if she ever looked at older men and wanted to f*** them.' When Macdonald was interviewed by police, he told them he couldn't remember how he knew she was over 18.

He said: "I believe she would have told me" which Mr Hobbs described as a "lacklustre denial."

Mr Hobbs added: "Miss A sent pictures to him over Instagram that included her full face. In the highly unlikely event that he thought he was communicating with someone over 18, that policy of ignorance cannot be continued beyond the time she was reported missing."

Macdonald was alleged to have a 'clear sexual interest' in children and adolescents. When he was arrested in November 2020, almost 1,000 images of young girls in bikinis or underwear were found on his Instagram cache. The hearing was told Macdonald showed Miss A a video that featured a woman with pigtails. He had also previously told the not to wear makeup so she looked more 'natural.'

In a police interview, Miss A said she 'genuinely thought she was in a relationship with Macdonald.' She said: "He said that when I am 16 he is going to have sex with me, so he kept messaging me. I genuinely thought we were in a relationship and that when I was an adult, we would be together."

However when the victim was 16, she reported Macdonald to Crimestoppers.

After she told him, Macdonald threatened to kill himself if she did not retract the report and blocked her, leaving her 'picking up the pieces.' Mr Hobbs said: "His contrary account was, 'I don't recall saying that'. His neck was on the line. He had everything to gain by getting her to retract that statement. He stopped a legitimate investigation. The former officer's account leaves more questions than it provides answers.

"It is ambiguous. The officer could have come here today and explained what happened, but he has chosen not to."

The misconduct panel's decision was that if Macdonald had still been serving, he would have been dismissed, but he resigned from South Yorkshire Police on December 31, 2022, after eight years of service with the force.

They confirmed Macdonald was never charged by the force following its investigation but the Crown Prosecution Services is deciding whether to prosecute. His details have now been added to the College of Policing's 'barred' list.