FORMER Essex police officer Hannah Notley has been jailed for four months for failing to investigate an alleged rape.

Notley, 30, a former sexual offences trained officer based at Rayleigh police station, pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in public office on 8 November 2013.

Today, Notley, from Benfleet, was jailed for four months following an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The IPCC investigation found that Notley failed to investigate an allegation of rape between July 2011 and February 2012. She failed to follow up on a number of lines of enquiry and lied to the victim, her supervisor and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) about the outcome of the investigation.

The IPCC also found a case to answer for misconduct in a second investigation by Miss Notley into an allegation of sexual touching reported to Essex Police in May 2011. Key actions were left incomplete and decisions were not recorded and documented correctly. This meant there was no accurate description of why the case was closed on the force’s crime recording system.

Tom Milsom, IPCC Associate Commissioner, said: "As a sexual offences trained officer, Hannah Notley was well aware of the courage it takes for victims to come forward and make allegations of this kind. The victim should have had confidence that her allegation would be thoroughly investigated and that she would be kept updated and supported throughout.

"She placed her confidence in the police but was let down by Miss Notley who carried out an inadequate investigation and ultimately lied to the victim, her supervisors and the CPS to cover up her mistakes. It was only when her lies began to unravel in front of her that she owned up."