A Metropolitan Police officer who ‘thought he was above the law’ has been jailed for a vile campaign of abuse which included the rapes of two women.
Jake Cummings served as a special constable in Dorset before becoming a police officer in London. During his tenure, he engaged in ‘extensive controlling, coercive behavior’ towards three women over the span of almost five years.
The 26-year-old bombarded them with messages and isolated them from friends, family and colleagues.
Jurors heard there was further degradation and humiliation of the women he raped, who suffered severe psychological harm.
Cummings was jailed for a total of 16 years for ten offences today at St Albans Crown Court in Hertfordshire.
He had been found guilty previously by a jury of three counts of coercive controlling behaviour, two counts of voyeurism and two counts of rape at a retrial.
The disgraced officer also admitted two counts of stalking and was found guilty by a jury of a third count of the same offence.
Judge Bilal Siddique told the defendant, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, he had deployed a ‘strikingly similar pattern of abuse’ against his victims.
Jake Cummings, 26, was a special constable in Dorset and then a police constable in London when he carried out ‘extensive controlling, coercive behaviour’ against three woman which over a near five-year period
This was ‘anything but impulsive offending’, the judge added, saying: ‘The period of offending – it was nearly five years beginning in July 2019 to February 2024 – can only be described as nothing other than a campaign of abuse.
Judge Siddique noted ‘the sheer volume of contact’ meant some if it ‘must have taken place during your shifts as a serving police officer’.
Footage released by police shows Cummings surrounded by officers as he was arrested in bed at his home in the early hours of February 24 last year.
After he was allowed to dress, he could be seen wringing his hands nervously in his living room before he was led to a van to be driven to a police station, where he denied any wrongdoing in interviews by fellow officers.
During Cummings’ first trial, Met officer Zak Russell told the court: ‘I recall on shifts that he would be constantly on his phone and would be messaging someone at all hours.’
Opening the trial, prosecutor Tom Little KC told jurors the defendant had shown ‘excessive controlling, coercive and manipulative behaviour’ as he ‘thought he was above the law’.
This would carry on even after relationships had ended, jurors heard.
The defendant was taken on as a special constable in Dorset from 2018 and joined the Met as a PC in November the following year when he moved to Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.
Judge Bilal Siddique told the defendant, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, he had deployed a ‘strikingly similar pattern of abuse’ against his victims
Mr Little said he always carried his warrant card, even when off duty, and would ‘flash it about’.
Each of Cummings’ three victims, who were aged between 19 and 24 and came from Dorset, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, detailed harrowing stories of harassment and coercive control, with one of them kept under watch using security cameras.
Jurors heard that he used phone apps called Life360 and Team Viewer to track the first complainant’s location, giving him ‘pincer-like control and knowledge’.
He also created multiple social media accounts to message her – with over 5,000 messages between them, most from Cummings – and he would drive down the road where she lived.
Detectives began their investigation when one of Cummings’ victims made a report in February 2024.
The media attention that followed after he was charged led to a second victim coming forward later that month.
Officers identified a third victim after going through Cummings’ mobile phone weeks later.
The case was initially taken by Hertfordshire’s Sexual Offences Investigation Team, before being transferred to the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit due to the complex circumstances.
Cummings was sacked from the Met after a disciplinary hearing found he had committed gross misconduct.
After sentencing, Neil Vaughan, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘Jake Cummings thought that he was above the law but his convictions prove otherwise.
‘These women did not know one another but together they painted a compelling picture which laid bare the vile pattern of abuse inflicted by Cummings.’
He said the CPS had worked closely with Hertfordshire Constabulary after the ‘complex investigation’, adding: ‘We hope his convictions reiterate the clear message that the CPS will relentlessly pursue justice for victims of rape and serious sexual offences.’
Detective Inspector Dale Mepstead, from the Major Crime Unit, said: ‘The emotional impact of Cummings’ offending will live with his victims for many years but it is through their brave testimony that he has finally been brought to justice.’
Detective Constable Ellie Cowling, from the Sexual Offences Investigation Team, described Cummings as a ‘serious and predatory offender’.
She said: ‘No-one is beyond the law and we will always take action when allegations are made.’
