A former Met Police officer who protected senior members of the Royal Family was jailed today for “pestering” a vulnerable woman whose intimate photos and video were shared online.

Mark Cranfield, an ex-armed royal protection officer, kept an intimate video and naked images of the female on his work phone. The highly-vulnerable woman contacted police in 2018 to say she had been the victim of revenge porn.

Cranfield, then working for West Mercia Police, interviewed the victim but then told her: “I’m glad I got to see the pictures.” The officer also sent the woman messages on social media, including one discussing his sex life, and a friend request.

He also forwarded the intimate video and images to a WhatsApp account which has yet to be traced.

The offences came to light in 2021 when his phone was seized from his work locker without warning for unconnected reasons. Married Cranfield, of Bromfield, Shrops, was convicted of two counts of misconduct in a public office.

He was also found guilty of accessing computer records, including the woman’s phone number, without authorisation.

Sentencing him at Birmingham crown court, Judge Kerry Maylin said it was a “grave betrayal” of the woman’s trust. “You were exploring whether you could have an intimate relationship with her, be that in person or online,” she said. “Misconduct in a public office committed by police officers is always a grave betrayal of trust.”

Liz Power, defending, described Cranfield as a hardworking family man who had “overstepped the line”. She told the court he had recently been working at Tesco as a shelf stacker to earn cash while suspended from duty.

The 52-year-old, who spent the majority of his career with the Met on royal protection duties, was jailed for eight months.

Get our daily royal round-up direct to your inbox