Former law enforcement officer London Williams began a seven-year prison term Friday after being sentenced by Judge M. James Chaney in Circuit Court.

Williams, 40, 4425 Nailor Road, was convicted of incest Nov. 2 after a two-day trial in which he was acquitted of a second charge of sexual battery. He heard the sentence with no reaction, but conferred with his attorneys for several minutes before being handcuffed and led away by deputies.

Chaney called Williams’ actions a “breach of trust and the confidence placed in him both as a sworn law enforcement officer and (family member).”

Defense attorneys W. Andy Sumrall and E. Michael Marks, both of Jackson, questioned the fact that Williams was the sole party charged with incest given the jury’s decision that the encounter was not forcible.

“We feel very strongly that the charge against him was decided by the jury in the sexual battery case that he was not guilty, therefore, the conclusion must be that it was a consensual sexual act,” Marks said.

Williams was arrested following a grand jury indictment in July charging him with sexual battery and incest after a complaint against him was made May 6 by an adult victim to the Vicksburg Police Department, where Williams was a patrolman in 2003 and 2004 and for about 10 months in 2007.

An investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the detective arm of the state police, ensued after a request by the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, which was brought into the case after it was determined the crime happened outside city limits.

Williams had been placed on medical leave from the department in April after he was injured in a wreck, and when he was indicted, officials did not say whether he quit or was fired.

“He had served this community well with both the police department and sheriff’s department for several years,” Sheriff Martin Pace said Friday night. “It was shocking to us when this occurred, but no one is above the law. The allegations were made, investigated thoroughly and presented in a court, and he was found guilty. The system works.”

Prior to issuing his decision Friday, Chaney referenced many letters he had received as part of the pre-sentence investigation. Some urged probation and some the maximum sentence, he said.

“By most accounts, the defendant has been a competent law enforcement officer,” the judge said. “There are no records of any prior felony conviction, and he did admit his guilt eventually.

“On the other hand, because the defendant was a sworn law enforcement officer, he should have known better. He should have acted to a higher standard of conduct. A law enforcement officer should be a refuge and a safe haven from violence and the evil of this world.”

Williams also violated his duty to protect the victim, Chaney said.

Williams had been an investigator with the sheriff’s department from January 2008 until June, his second stint with the department, and had held other local law enforcement positions going back to 2003.

In addition to his law enforcement career, Williams ran unsuccessfully for sheriff of Issaquena County in November 2007.

Sumrall and Marks said they will file an appeal in the case. Sumrall declined to state specific grounds, but said he believed errors had been made during the trial.