Five to face trial over use of Yorkshire police helicopter to spy on couples having sex

Matthew Loosemore outside Sheffield Crown Court. Picture: Ross Parry Agency

Five serving and retired Yorkshire police officers accused of misusing an official helicopter to film people who were naked or having sex will go on trial next year.

The men were arrested as part of a South Yorkshire Police investigation into reports that the force helicopter had been used for inappropriate filming.

Malcolm Reeves, 63, who was a pilot at South Yorkshire Police before retiring in 2013, pleaded not guilty at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday to one charge of misconduct in a public office.

Serving officers Matthew Lucas, 41, and Lee Walls, 46, along with former South Yorkshire officer Adrian Pogmore, 50, and Matthew Loosemore, 44, who was a South Yorkshire Police pilot before transferring to the National Police Air Service in 2013, had all previously pleaded not guilty to charges of misconduct in a public office.

The charges relate to four alleged incidents between 2007 and 2012 - one on August 23 2007, two on July 28 2008, and one on July 22 2012.

Pogmore, of Rotherham, pleaded not guilty to four counts of misconduct relating to watching and filming naked people without their consent, and observing and recording people performing sexual acts.

Walls, of Sheffield, and Loosemore, of Doncaster, each deny one count. Lucas, of Sheffield, denies three counts.

All five men were released on bail and will face trial next July.

The court heard there will also be an abuse of power argument relating to Pogmore, next February.