A FORMER police officer has avoided jail after admitting to supplying party drugs GHB and crystal meth at sex parties.
Ben Simmons, 37, an ex-officer with West Midlands Police, pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying the drugs to another man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – while he lived in Banbury between July 2022 and August 2023.
The drugs, named colloquially as ‘Gina’ and ‘Tina’, were frequently taken at sex parties that were often held in Birmingham hotels.
It was heard the victim was consensually injected by the defendant and other men.
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Oxford Crown Court heard on Tuesday (January 30) that Simmons had become involved in alcohol and drugs following a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis due to ‘extreme events’ he witnessed during his career.
Sentencing him to 14 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, Judge Michael Gledhill said: “You know the dangers of people taking drugs.
“Indeed, in this case, [the victim] had to be put in an induced coma as a result of the drugs that were supplied by you.
“The consequences were not grave for him but they could have led to the grave. Your life took a downward turn towards the end of your career – your reputation pretty much in tatters.”
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Opening the case, prosecutor Jonathan Stone said: “[The victim] says before he met the defendant he didn’t know what a sex party was but that changed.
“They took place in hotels and other places. [The victim] would stay awake for long periods of time unless he took GHB.
“Taking drugs was called slamming [and] the nature of the slams got bigger and he said he was injected by the defendant and others by the was never forced to do that.”
Simmons was removed from the police force in 2021 after being caught drink-driving.
His defence barrister, Alistair Grainger, said he began self-medicating with alcohol after his PTSD diagnosis.
He added that Simmons had also been put through a disciplinary hearing which he was exonerated from but the process took 18 months, adding to his mental health issues.
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Mr Grainger concluded: “None of the activities were led with any malice.”
After sentencing Simmons, Judge Gledhill added: “I do not want to see you in this court again. Sort yourself out and put this well and truly behind you and re-establish your reputation.”
Simmons was also charged with having articles of police uniform such as jackets, a stab vest and notebooks despite not being a serving officer but these have since been returned so the charge was dropped.
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