A former Bedfordshire Police radio dispatcher, Harry Blumire, has been jailed for seven years for rape. Blumire, 24, worked in the police control room and was arrested while off duty in Northamptonshire in June 2024. He was immediately suspended and dismissed in September 2024. He was convicted at Leicester Crown Court of rape, sexual assault, actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation on 7 October. The seven-year prison term was imposed for the rape, with other sentences of 24 months, nine months and 18 months, running concurrently. The offences took place between August 2023 and May 2024 against a woman in her 20s. Bedfordshire Police assistant chief constable John Murphy said Blumire tried to use his role as police staff to dissuade the victim from coming forward by telling her she would not be believed. Northamptonshire Police detective constable Gina Rosignoli praised the victim’s “remarkable strength and determination” during an investigation that took more than two years to reach trial.