Four women have claimed a married police officer made advances to them after he came into contact with them during investigations.

They described how PC Stephen Hughes would text and telephone them. Some of the women said he made it clear he wanted to have sex with them.

The 32-year-old Folkestone officer is alleged to have “misconducted himself” by maintaining the contact with the women with a view to having sex, using the police computer to carry out research on those he was attracted to and on one occasion failing to investigate a reported sex offence.

Hughes, of Fairfax Close, Folkestone, denies 10 charges of misconduct in judicial or public office.

Blonde Zoe Webster said Hughes and another officer went to see her after she reported her lawnmower stolen from her shed on March 17 last year.

He returned on his own one morning unexpectedly as she was getting up, she told the court.

“He asked me if I was all right,” she said.

“It was all a bit strange and a bit weird. Then he left. There were texts. I would describe them as inappropriate. They were unnecessary."

On March 23, he sent another text telling her it was “a lovely day for cutting grass”.

The next day he told her: “You are a very sexy lady.”

In another he said: “I can have some fun with you. Nothing serious.”

Miss Webster said she had just come out of a relationship and told Hughes no.

She told him not to call or text any more. He replied: “OK, sorry, take care. You have got my number if you want to get in touch.”

Danielle Smith said she was vulnerable having just lost her partner when PC Hughes went to see her about an incident involving her son in March last year.

Afterwards, he continued to contact her and was “coming on” to her, she said.

“I was a bit defensive at first,” she said.

“There was a lot of jokey banter. As it got towards the end I realised he was being serious. It was flirty rather than contact.

“I didn’t express that I was interested in him in the same way he was interested in me.

“It was attention, I suppose. I was going through a difficult time. I said from the start I was not interested when he said about being married. I think I told him I didn’t fancy him any way.”

She denied she and Hughes kissed on two occasions or that they met on the Downs overlooking the Channel Tunnel terminal.

“I told him I was seeing somebody, so to stop texting,” she continued.

“It was a tactic. I wasn’t seeing anybody. He didn’t try to touch me. It was sexual suggestions in texts.

“He wanted to take the relationship further. My response was no. From the beginning it was flirty. It progressed and suggestions were made.

“Once I said stop, it was the end of it. He apologised for upsetting me. I just told him to leave me alone.

“I said to stop or I would take my phone to the police. I referred to him abusing his position as a police officer. I didn’t report it until the police came to me because I was a bit embarrassed.

“Because he was a police officer, I didn’t know how it would be taken.”

Czech teenager Sylvie Sivakova said Hughes contacted her after she was given a caution for stealing a ring.

Hughes and another officer gave her a lift home and he asked if he could call her and take her out.

“I said yeah,” she told the jury. “I was going to meet up but part of what he said on the phone was rude. We were talking on text and he said he would like to ---- me.

“He said: ‘I like your breasts.’ He just said he would like to ---- me. I hung up on him. The impression I formed was that he didn’t have any respect.

“I knew what he wanted. He still wanted to see me. He said: ‘I will pay you.’ I said: ‘I am not a prostitute.’

“He never spoke to me in a nice way. It always seemed he was after me for sex. I don’t know why I met him. I agreed to see him because I liked him, just for a joke.

“The contact stopped because I ignored him.”

Miss Sivakova, 19, agreed Hughes did not touch her or act inappropriately.

“He never spoke to me in a nice way. It always seemed he was after me for sex" - witness Sylvie Sivakova in evidence

Gina Lowe told how she came into contact with Hughes after a domestic incident with her boyfriend Christian Ender at the Mayfly pub in Hawkinge they were running.

Mr Ender called the police for some advice on December 21 2011 and two other officers went to see them. Two days later Hughes went there saying he was following up on the incident.

“It all seemed a little bit strange,” she said. “About 20 minutes later I had a text message from him saying if I needed anything this was his number and to contact him.

“There was quite a bit of contact. It changed to a different phone number. Then the whole body of text changed to a different level.

“There was sexual content and not really things you would expect from a police officer. He said he wanted to take me to bed. That changed everything.

“There were phone calls as well. It started off as general chat. We had a few things in common. A sexual comment would be put in every now and then.

“The content got way out of hand and I told my partner about it. I think he texted him first from my phone to say please stop.

“Christian got a bit fed up and called him. The contact stopped for a little while. It then carried on.

“I told Christian again. Straight away he said: ‘That’s it. I gave him a warning and I am going to report him.’ A complaint was made.”

The trial continues.