This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A police inspector has avoided a jail sentence after pleading guilty to possessing child abuse images.



Christopher Goodman, 43, from Guildford, who served with Surrey police force at the time of his arrest, was given a nine-month prison sentence suspended for two years at Lewes crown court.

At a previous hearing, Goodman had admitted eight offences of making a total of 92 indecent images of children.

A police spokesman said 72 of the images were classified as category C – the least serious level of image – 16 as category B, and four as category A - the most serious level. “The offences involved the use of his home computer equipment, and there was no use of Surrey police systems,” he said.

Goodman was stationed at Reigate at the time of his arrest in August 2013.

At the hearing he was also ordered to sign the sex offender register for 10 years and was given a sexual harm prevention order until further notice, severely restricting his access to computer and related communications equipment.

The court also made an order for the forfeiture and destruction of Goodman’s computer equipment seized at the time of his arrest, and he was required to pay £450 court costs.

The investigation was carried out by the paedophile online investigation team at the request of Surrey police.

The spokesman said there was no evidence of contact offending, and the images were not believed to be of local children.