Dorset Police says McClements gets eight-month suspended sentence

Former Dorset Police PC James McClements was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months, after admitting misconduct in a public office. The case centered on an inappropriate sexual relationship with a domestic abuse victim he met in November 2023 during an investigation.

Rachel Farrell, Dorset Police’s deputy chief constable, said McClements gave the victim his personal phone number and pursued a sexual relationship with her. Dorset Police also said he would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had he not already resigned in April 2025.

Bristol Crown Court sentence

McClements, 35, admitted the misconduct charge before the court imposed the suspended prison term. The sentence means he does not go into custody unless he breaches the terms set by the court.

The conduct at the center of the case involved a police officer and a person he met through an investigation into domestic abuse. Dorset Police said McClements fell well below the standards expected of an officer, and Farrell said the behavior was totally unacceptable and that he was not fit to serve in the force.

Rachel Farrell statement

Farrell said, "I want to make it extremely clear that the behaviour of this former officer was totally unacceptable and he was not fit to serve in Dorset Police." She added, "For any member of the police service to pursue a sexual or improper relationship with a victim is an abuse of their position."

She also said, "McClements gave a domestic abuse victim his personal phone number and pursued a sexual relationship with her." In a separate line, she said, "Additionally, on one occasion he encouraged her not report to police a breach of contact by the reported domestic abuse perpetrator, which could have put her at greater risk."

Farrell said, "He does not represent the many amazing officers, staff and volunteers who work tirelessly every day to support victims and keep our communities safe."

Gross misconduct finding

A misconduct hearing on 19 May 2026 found McClements had committed gross misconduct. Dorset Police said that finding would have led to dismissal if he had still been serving, but he had already resigned the previous year.

The sequence of events places the sentencing after the resignation and after the force’s internal hearing, leaving the court penalty as the latest formal outcome in the case. For victims who rely on police contact during abuse investigations, the record now includes both the criminal sentence and the force’s finding that the conduct crossed the line into gross misconduct.