Former Leeds police officer jailed for sexual assault and misconduct while on and off duty
A former Leeds police officer has been jailed after admitting sexual assault and misconduct in public office.
Patrick Banks, 42, was working as a detective constable in the city when the offences took place in 2024 and 2025.
The court heard that, over this period, Banks acted both on and off duty as he attempted to inappropriately befriend two women.
In April last year, one of the women reported her concerns. Banks was arrested the same day, later released on bail, and suspended from duty.
The court heard that he sent the woman inappropriate messages, visited her home several times while off duty, and sexually assaulted her by touching her.
He also asked her to translate a message which read that he wanted to remove her underwear with his teeth.
Shortly after his arrest, a second woman came forward with concerns about his behaviour. He had regularly messaged her and visited her home four times—only one of which was while on duty and recorded on police systems.
Banks appeared before the court on Monday, March 2, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office and one count of sexual assault. He denied the theft of a mobile phone, and the judge ordered that charge to lie on file.
On Wednesday, he was sentenced to three years in prison at Sheffield Crown Court. He was also given a seven-year restraining order and placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Banks had already resigned from West Yorkshire Police and was subject to an accelerated gross misconduct hearing in October last year. A panel concluded he would have been dismissed had he still been serving.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tanya Wilkins, head of West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, said the case demonstrated that victims would be taken seriously.
She said the officer’s actions were “abhorrent” and fell far short of expected standards. “Banks was immediately suspended from duty when the offending was reported to the police and he has already been added to the College of Policing barred list, preventing him from gaining any further employment in policing on his release from prison,” she said.
She added that she would urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual offences - regardless of the perpetrator’s occupation - to report it, and said she hoped the case showed victims would be listened to and that swift action would be taken.