A police officer from the East Area Command Unit has been found guilty of twice raping a teenage girl he took out for a date in Harold Hill.

Pc Adam Provan, 39, was jailed for nine years today (Friday, November 30) after a trial at Wood Green Crown Court and was placed on the sex offenders’ register.

The judge heard that Provan and the victim, aged 16 at the time, met through a friend of the victim’s who had initially been contacted by mistake by Provan.

They had exchanged messages and photos before deciding to go on a date.

He told her he was 22, when he was in fact much older, but she felt she could trust him as he was a Met Police officer

The court was told that on their first meeting in August 2010, Provan took the girl to some woods where he raped her.

The victim tried to think of ways to escape but she had left her bag in Provan’s car and was in a remote area so stayed.

He then took her to a fast food restaurant in Harold Hill where he looked up films on his mobile phone, encouraging her to lie to her father and tell him they had been to the cinema.

Provan then took the girl for a walk in Central Park, Harold Hill, and forced her to commit a sex act.

The girl told the court she had said “no” several times and it would have been absolutely clear to Provan she was not consenting.

The girl eventually told a relative she had been raped, and it was reported to police in May 2016.

Officers began an investigation and Provan was arrested on June 1, 2016. Following further enquiries, he was charged on September 26 2017.

Provan admitted he had been on the date but denied anything sexual had happened.

Det Supt Sian Thomas, of Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command, said: “Pc Provan abused his position to win the trust of his victim and deliberately deceived her - she felt reassured he was a police officer and had no idea of the large age gap between them.

“This assault was brazen and calculated, with clear indication he had planned it beforehand.

“The victim has been incredibly brave in giving evidence in court and I commend her courage in reliving what happened to her in court.

“I would like to praise the efforts of the investigators involved whose dedication and thorough work has helped secure this conviction, and the sentence reflects the severity of his offending.

“The MPS expects its officers to uphold the highest standards of behaviour both whilst on and off-duty. Pc Provan has been suspended from duties, and will now face misconduct proceedings.”