A police officer told a court he only flirted with a burglary victim because she winked at him from her doorstep but insisted they never had sex.
PC Matthew Peall, 47, is accused of misconduct in a public office after he allegedly tried to initiate a sexual relationship with the female carer of an elderly woman whose home was raided on October 8, 2019.
He proceeded to pursue a 'sexual or improper emotional relationship' with the female carer - referred to as 'LS' - between October 9 and December 17, 2019, after attending her house to take a statement, jurors have been told.
The officer previously handled complex adult and child sexual abuse cases for three and a half years as part of Kent Police's Vulnerability Investigations Team.
Giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court, the police officer conceded that he 'should have reported' the relationship to the appropriate authorities.
PC Matthew Peall (pictured leavingSouthwark Crown Court)is accused of misconduct in a public office after he allegedly tried to initiate a sexual relationship with the female carer of an elderly woman whose home was raided
Peall (pictured outside court) proceeded to pursue a 'sexual or improper emotional relationship' with the female carer - referred to as 'LS' - between October 9 and December 17, 2019
But he added that self-reporting relationships with witnesses was 'never discussed openly' by police officers.
Peall said he 'did not remember' completing online training about preventing police abuse of position of trust for sexual purposes.
The officer initially attended the witness's house to take a statement in relation to the burglary on October 22, 2019.
He said he initially built a 'rapport' with the complainant during the taking of her first statement and said that messages between them 'became flirty' soon after their first meeting.
Whilst taking a second statement from 'LS', Peall said he was 'absolutely convinced that she winked at me' in the doorway of her house.
He sent her a message saying: 'I'm never sure what your winks mean' and she responded: 'I'm sure you'll figure them out.'
'I understood that to mean she was flirting with me - although I may have been thinking it possible she wasn't, she was actually doing so,' he said.
In a sequence of messages sent on November 20, one read: 'We could be wicked together', followed by a winking face emoji.
The court was told the woman replied: 'I'm sure we could'.
Peall said that this was an 'escalation in flirtation', adding: 'I believe, I still do, that is exactly what she intended, to continue to flirt with me.'
Peall (pictured leaving Southwark Crown Court) previously handled complex adult and child sexual abuse cases for three and a half years as part of Kent Police's Vulnerability Investigations Team
The police constable then admitted to asking the complainant via message if she had a 'high sex drive'.
During some of the pair's highly charged phone calls, many involved 'some kind of sexualised conversation,' the officer confessed.
Peall said he 'stopped communicating' with the complainant on December 16 and was 'quite glad it had stopped.'
'Afterwards, when there was no further contact, I was relieved', he said.
Asked if he ever met the woman for sex, Peall replied: 'No, not at all.'
Asked why he engaged in the conversations, he told the court, 'I wasn't in a good place - she had winked at me and she flirted with me, and I flirted back.'
The policeman said that he 'should' have self-reported the relationship, telling the court: 'I don't know why I didn't - I should have done, I should have reported it.'
'I never reported anything and I wasn't ever aware of anyone reporting anything of any kind.
'I can't recall how much emphasis there was on that at the time, it wasn't something that was discussed openly that I ever remember.
'Certain colleagues had developed relationships over that time, the reporting of things, I don't ever remember that being discussed.'
Peall said he could not recall ever receiving online training about preventing police abuse of position of trust for sexual purposes.
Peall told the court he could not recall ever receiving online training about preventing police abuse of position of trust for sexual purposes
Peall said: 'Online training covers many topics over a long period of time, I couldn't remember whether I would have done or not.
'I think it was put on you to look at these things if you saw them, certainly not to go actively looking for these documents.
During cross-examination by prosecutor Zarah Dickinson, Peall denied organising the taking of a third statement for the purposes of arranging a sexual meet-up.
'She was providing information as a witness, there was no vulnerability - she was flirting with me as much as I was flirting with her', he said.
Peall, of Dover, Kent, denies one count of wilfully misconducting himself in public office.
The trial continues.
