A former Dorset Police officer has been jailed after appeal judges increased his misconduct sentence.
James McClements, 35, of Bridport, will serve 15 months in prison after the Attorney General referred his case to the Court of Appeal through the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme for review.
The court heard McClements visited the woman after she called police following an assault by her abusive former partner, gave her his personal number and began a sexual relationship lasting from December 2023 until July 2024.
During that relationship, he pressured her to keep it secret and later persuaded her not to report a bail breach by her former partner because revealing the incident would expose his presence at her home.
Attorney General Ellie Reeves KC MP said McClements had “abused the trust” placed in him and that the victim had needed and deserved “professional support and protection” from police officers.
McClements was originally given 8 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Bristol Crown Court on 16 June 2026 for one count of misconduct in a public office, before the Court of Appeal increased the sentence on 29 July.
