Fifty Police Officers in the UK Arrested for Child Porn

Fifty police officers across the UK have been arrested as part of a crackdown on suspected pedophiles who pay to access child pornography websites, detectives revealed today.

The officers were among 1,300 people arrested on suspicion of accessing or downloading indecent images of children - some as young as five - from US-based Internet sites.

Thirty-five men were arrested in London this morning as part of the investigation - codenamed Operation Ore - following raids on 45 addresses across the capital.

Of the 50 policemen identified, eight have been charged to date and the remainder bailed pending further inquiries. Scotland Yard said none of those arrested today was a policeman.

At a press conference at Scotland Yard today, Jim Gamble, assistant chief constable of the National Crime Squad, said he was not surprised at the number of police officers among the suspects.

"As police officers, we should expect to be held accountable," he said.

"Fifty police officers have been identified and we are not hiding that fact. We want you to know about that to reassure you.

"Police officers are member of the communities that they serve and there will be good people and bad people in the police."

Mr Gamble said the 50 officers were among 1,200 Britons who had been identified as "category one or two" suspects - those who posed the greatest potential risk to children.

In addition, 40 children nationwide - 28 of them in London - had been identified as being at risk of being abused and appropriate steps had been taken with other agencies to ensure that all the youngsters were safe.

Before today's arrests, the Metropolitan Police had executed 75 warrants across the capital with 65 arrests and more than 130 computers seized.

Although 7,000 suspected users of "pay-per-view" child pornography sites based in the US were identified in Britain, Mr Gamble said the actual number of offenders would probably be lower, partly due to duplicates.

The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Carole Howlett, said today's raids represented the single largest operation of its kind mounted so far by the force.

She added: "Our priority so far has been to identify those individuals on the list that pose the greatest threat to children now.

"But this process is on-going ... and it will continue after today, even though it is extremely resource intensive."

Ms Howlett also announced that the Home Office had agreed to allocate an extra £500,000 to support further action as part of Operation Ore.

She said the money would be used to provide extra training in computer forensics for officers across the country and to buy more equipment for analyzing computers seized.

Commenting on today's operation, children's charity NSPCC said it had been assisting the Met by responding to any emerging child protection matters.

Colin Turner, head of NSPCC's specialist investigation service, said: "The arrests send out a strong warning to those that think they can remain anonymous and escape the law by using the Internet to trade in child abuse images.

"Behind these indecent, abusive images are real children who will have suffered immense damage and trauma."

Operation Ore is the UK wing of a huge FBI operation which traced 250,000 pedophiles worldwide last year through credit card details used to pay for downloading child porn.

The names of British suspects were passed on by US investigators.

Suspects were traced through the Landslide web site - a gateway to an international collection of child pornography sites.

Thomas Reedy, who ran the web site and earned millions from it, is now serving several life sentences in the US.

Officer James Formby Pleads Guitly to Having Sex with Woman He Was Helping

A Metropolitan Police officer has pleaded guilty to misconduct after he had sex on duty with a woman he was meant to be helping.

Pc James Formby, 31, and a colleague responded to a suspected domestic abuse incident in Bromley last September.

He stayed with the woman while a man was taken to a police station, then engaged in sexual activity with the woman, who had been drinking.

Formby, who has been suspended from the force, will be sentenced on 1 March.

'Vulnerable and scared'

The officer, based at Bromley Police station, pleaded guilty to one charge of misconduct in public office at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday.

The investigation was carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) following a referral from the Met.

IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: "Police officers hold a unique position of trust in the eyes of the public and it is disgraceful that Pc Formby abused that trust in this case.

"He should have been supporting a woman who was vulnerable and scared but instead he exploited the situation and his behaviour was completely inappropriate."

A Met Police spokesman said Pc Formby has been suspended pending disciplinary hearings, which will take place after sentencing.

Officer Stephen Mitchell Charged with Rape

Pc Stephen Mitchell, an officer with Northumbria police, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address during the brief hearing at Newcastle magistrates’ court.

Mitchell, 41, has been charged with six offenses of rape, two of sexual assault, 16 of indecent assault and 19 of misconduct in a public office.

The allegations involve 19 people are said to have taken place between 1999 and 2007.

He was remanded in custody until Thursday, when his solicitor is expected to make an application for bail.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said Mitchell, who has

served in the Newcastle and Northumberland area commands, was arrested in

Glasgow on Monday and taken back to the North East.

He appeared in court yesterday flanked by two officers and wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and black sweatshirt.

An IPCC spokesman added: "This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information which they feel could be relevant to the inquiry is asked to contact Northumbria Police.

A spokesman for Northumbria police said that Mitchell, from Whitley Bay, was suspended last year.

The alleged victims are believed to have been suspected criminals, drug addicts and homeless women.

His arrest came following a year-long investigation by Northumbria Police's Professional Standards Department, under the management of the IPCC.

Officer Steven Campbell Charged with Attempted Murder & Rape

A police officer has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder and rape of a woman.

Steven Campbell, 40, is accused of allegations which span more than 13 years. It is alleged that on various occasions between January 1995 and October 2008, he tried to kill the woman at a number of addresses in East Kilbride, Airdrie and the Asda supermarket in Hamilton.

The charge includes claims that the Strathclyde Police sergeant shout, swore and "uttered threats of violence". It is said he assaulted the woman in various ways such as throwing her against a tractor.

The woman is also alleged to have been thrown against walls, door and furniture and had her throat compressed which restricted her breathing.

Campbell, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, is then accused of raping his alleged victim during the same dates.

The charge includes claims that he indecently assaulted her with a sex toy and also took indecent photographs of her. Campbell also faces two firearms charges dating between January 1 2000 and October 9, 2008.

It is alleged that at a farm in Shotts, Lanarkshire, he possessed bullets without holding a relevant firearms certificate or having the permission of the Scottish Ministers.

Mark Moir, defending, said Campbell denied all charges during a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday. Mr Moir and prosecutor Bruce Erroch said inquiries were ongoing and that a trial date could not yet be set.

Judge Lord Turnbull adjourned the case for a further hearing in March.