Police officer caught with child sex abuse images walks free from court
- Details
- Category: Paedophile Police
- Created: Monday, 08 January 2018 11:22
- Written by Neil Docking and Josh Parry - Liverpool Echo
PC Darren Wright, who was fired in October, suffered mental health problems after battling leukaemia. Merseyside police officer caught with a stash of 1,500 indecent images of children today walked free from court. PC Darren Wright , who was sacked in October, admitted downloading, possessing and sharing pictures of child sex abuse.
The 38-year-old, of Chester Road in Southport, who lives with his parents, gathered the collection over a two-year period. But he was spared jail after Liverpool Crown Court heard how he suffered mental health problems after twice battling leukaemia.
Robert Jones, prosecuting, said officers raided the house Wright shares with his mum and dad on June 9 last year. Mr Jones said: “The defendant was anxious to retain I think some medical appointments from his mobile phone.
“Police said there was no difficulty in him doing that, provided it was under supervision.
“The defendant appeared to be acting rather furtively with his iPhone. In fact what he was trying to do was delete some chat conversations.
“Those chat conversations were nothing to do with indecent images, but the police did not know that at the time.”
Police seized his phone plus a HP laptop hard drive and USB stick, which Wright said he and he alone used.
The stash included 23 Category A images – the most serious category in sentencing guidelines – involving child rape.
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Wright had downloaded a further 26 Category B and 1,368 Category C indecent photographs.
Describing the pictures, Mr Jones told the court: “One of those is notably a very, very young child indeed.”
He said Wright was “candid” with police during interviews and admitted sharing “some Category C images”.
Mr Jones said Wright did not have any previous convictions and “exemplary conduct within the police force”.
He added: “There is no suggestion that any police equipment was used for this purpose. It was all private.”
Wright was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, went into remission, but relapsed in 2013, before again going into remission.
James Hamilton, defending, said his client’s health difficulties had “a significant impact upon the reason why he offended”.
He said Wright had mental health problems and had since received counselling to address his behaviour.
Merseyside police officer admits downloading child abuse images.
Mr Hamilton said Wright was deemed to pose little future risk in the community and urged the judge to spare him jail.
He said: “He is a man who has suffered two bouts of serious ill health, the consequences of which will live with him for the rest of his life.
“He has also suffered the loss of the career that he loved deeply. That was something that was taken from him in many ways by his ill health.
“He has already in my respectful submission suffered significant punishment.”
Darren Wright leaves Liverpool Crown court after he was received a 6 months suspended sentence for possessing a stash of 1,500 indecent images of children.
Judge Denis Watson, QC, said Wright made a positive contribution to society but developed mental health issues after two bouts of cancer.
He said: “You reached a state of considerable isolation after your second course of chemotherapy and other treatments from 2015 onwards.
“It was in that position of isolation in which you found yourself that this offending was committed.”
The judge said there was no evidence of Wright sharing images other than his admission and concluded they were relatively few.
He accepted his risk of further offending was low and sentenced him to six months in prison suspended for two years, plus a 35-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Judge Watson said: “Had you committed these offences in the course of your work as a police officer or used your position as a police officer to facilitate any of these offences, there could only have been an immediate custodial sentence.”
He told Wright to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and to abide by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for seven years.
Merseyside Police’s professional standards department previously said it fired Wright following a formal misconduct hearing, which he failed to attend.
Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Cummings said: “We simply cannot afford to have police officers and support staff working for us who do not strive to uphold the highest levels of professionalism and integrity at all times.”
Source : http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/police-officer-caught-child-sex-14126879
