Police officer sentenced for possessing indecent image of children

Lee John Ashcroft, 39, formerly of Greater Manchester Police, has been sentenced today at Liverpool Crown Court for making an indecent image of a child (IIOC).

Acting on Intelligence that Ashcroft was accessing IIOC online, on Monday 12 October 2020 police officers executed a warrant at his home in Hyde. 

Ashcroft was present at the address, he was arrested and conveyed to Huddersfield Police Station where he was interviewed several times. In each interview he gave pre-prepared statements saying he had never downloaded or had sight of any IIOC.

When his laptop was forensically examined, he had downloaded and viewed a Category A video (the most serious category), which was almost 8 minutes long, twice on 17 August 2018.

After initially pleading not guilty, in October this year, he changed his plea to guilty.

Today Ashcroft was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, suspended for 2 years.

He was given 12-month community order with 120 hours unpaid work and 30 days rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was issued with a sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years. He was also ordered to pay £1,500 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge. 

Martha Dowd, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: "By downloading and viewing the video Lee Ashcroft, a serving police officer, betrayed his position of trust in the community in the most abhorrent way.

"His job was to uphold the law and protect the public; today he has been held accountable for actions which fell far short of upholding those responsibilities. 

"The CPS and the police will continue to work together to robustly prosecute anyone who commits such offences, particularly those in positions of trust in our society."