Cop ‘asked for girl’s phone number’
A police officer took a 15-year-old girl’s phone number and asked her to meet him after school, a court heard.
PC Adnan Arib, 45, allegedly quizzed the teenager about her personal life, asked if she had a boyfriend and suggested they go for a drink during 2019.
The officer, who worked at Bethnal Green Police station, also told a 16-year-old runaway she was pretty and asked if she wanted to out with him, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Jacqueline Carey told jurors how the Met Police officer came into contact with both girls in the course of his work.
‘His interactions with them, his conduct towards these two young women was wholly inappropriate and amounts to misconduct.
‘In relation to [the 15-year-old], he told her to deny stealing some money she had taken from her mum.
‘He proceeded to take her phone number, asked her to meet after school.
‘They did, and he asked her a series of questions about her personal life, whether she had a boyfriend and to keep it a secret,’ said Ms Carey.
Arib allegedly targeted the 16-year-old runaway after she was taken to his police station.
‘He asked her a number of questions, he wanted to take her out and said that she was pretty,’ said Ms Carey.
The prosecutor said the interactions showed the officer ‘clearly trying to form some sort of relationship’ with the teenagers.
‘The court heard Arib accepted meeting up with the girls but claimed he only did so to ‘provide advice’.
The officer met the girl after her mother called police, claiming her daughter had stolen £10 from her.
After initially speaking to the mother, Arib interviewed the schoolgirl alone in her bedroom.
‘When he asked her if she had taken her mother’s money, he mouthed to her to say ‘no’.
‘She answered a number of his questions.
‘He asked her for her name, her phone number, her email and asked her to write it on a piece of paper he gave her,’ said Ms Carey.
‘He asked her if she would like to meet with him after school.
‘When she agreed to meet him he told her not to tell anyone.’
Arib then told the girl’s mother she had not taken the money, despite the fact that the teenager had earlier admitted it.
He recommended not reporting the matter as it would have a negative impact on her future job prospects, the court heard.
Over the course of the day, made several missed calls and messages to the teenager’s phone in order to confirm the meeting.
Arib used a police computer to access the girl’s file, which included the mother’s concerns that her daughter was drinking, smoking cannabis and being ‘vulnerable to sexual exploitation’
The girl confided to a teacher she was meant to be meeting a police officer at the park alone and showed him their text.
But when the teacher reported the matter, she changed her story and claimed the texts were from a schoolmate.
When the teenager met Arib, now in plain clothes, in a nearby park, he asked her if she had something other than her school uniform shirt to change into.
Jurors heard that in answer to her question of why they were meeting, Arib told her that he wanted to see she was ok.
‘According to [her] he then asked her if she had a boyfriend and if he made her very happy,’ said the prosecutor.
‘She lied and said that she had a boyfriend.
‘He asked her if she wanted to be friends, bearing in mind there are 30 years between them.
‘She said she didn’t like having friends,’ said Ms Carey.
The girl later told officers she was ‘pretty sure’ Arib put his arm around her shoulder and mentioned going for drinks, the court heard.
When the girl informed him she was going home, Arib repeatedly asked her ‘don’t you want to be friends’ despite her negative answers, jurors heard.
‘Eventually PC Arib took the hint and told her not to tell anyone about it,’ said Ms Carey.
‘The prosecution say that conversion was totally and utterly inappropriate.
‘If this was a genuine attempt to provide advice and assistance, why was this 42-year-old man not wearing his police uniform, why did he ask her to change her shirt, why was he asking her if she had a boyfriend and, most importantly, why was he asking her to keep it a secret?’
When she got home, the girl immediately told her mother what happened and the matter was reported to the police.
When Arib was arrested, a black Mobiwire phone was found on his rucksack which he claimed he had no idea how it got there.
An examination of the phone uncovered 47 text messages Aryb sent to the second girl between April and May that year.
The 16-year-old was picked up by police late at night in March 31, 2019, and taken to the station after running away from home.
‘She recalled that the officer was very friendly and started asking her questions about her personal life.
‘At the beginning things like age, where she lived and what she did day to day.
‘She said it was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable and it was ‘a bit dodgy’,’ said the prosecutor.
But Arib then went on to to ask the teenager if she was in a relationship and suggested he take her out.
‘[She] said to the officers that when he told her he wants to take her out she said ‘why’ and he said she was very pretty,’ said Ms Carey.
The teenager was returned safely at home the next day but Arib accessed her file despite having no legitimate reason to, jurors heard.
After the following weeks he bombarded her with text messages that made the girl feel ‘a bit weird’.
On her 17th birthday he wrote: ‘Happy birthday. What’s the plan today?’
‘His misconduct does betray the public trust and there is no reasonable excuse to justify that behaviour,’ said the prosecutor.
In a prepared statement to police, Arib claimed he was might have been ‘naive’ but he was ‘only trying to help.’
The bearded police officer attended court dressed in a black suit, white dotted shirt and dark tie.
Arib, of Barking, East London, denies two counts of misconduct in public office.
The allegations date from between 31 March 2019 and 4 July 2019.
The trial continues.
