Hackney police officer caught in child porn sting escapes jail with community order

A police officer who downloaded child porn while working for the Met’s Specialist Operations division protecting MPs was sentenced to a three-year community order this week.

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A police officer who downloaded child porn while working for the Met’s Specialist Operations division protecting MPs was sentenced to a three-year community order this week.

Christopher Exley, 33, from Blackberry Court, Woodmill Road, Upper Clapton, kept 53 indecent images of young children on two laptops and a memory stick at his home.

The pictures were discovered after he was caught in an online police sting targeting websites used by paedophiles.

Treatment

At the Old Bailey on Monday, Judge Anthony Leonard QC also ordered Exley to take part in an internet sex offender treatment programme. “You get no special treatment as a result of having been a police officer, as you should have known better,” he said.

“But, on the other hand, you have lost a lot through your plea, because you’ve been dismissed and not even allowed to resign and that will have a substantial effect on the rest of your life.”

Prosecutor Richard Hearnden told the court that, using an instant messenging service called MSN, Mr Exley interacted with an undercover officer known as ‘Jo’ and told her things which strongly suggested he had a sexual interest in boys around the age of 10.

He was arrested at his workplace in Charing Cross, where he was part of the diplomatic protection unit.

Exley pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent images of children.

He denied arranging or facilitating a meeting to engage in sexual activity with a child, and this allegation was dropped.

He was sentenced to a three-year community order, during which he must complete the internet sex offender treatment programme, an 18-month supervision order and a month-long, electronically tagged curfew between 8pm and 6am.