A FORMER West Midlands Police officer from Solihull has admitted making indecent images of children.
James Duffield, of Warwick Road, was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children online between December 2013 and August 2017.
The 34-year-old was dismissed by West Midlands Police on November 21.
The former former response officer based in Birmingham was arrested at his home by specialist detectives from the force’s Online Child Exploitation Team as part of an intelligence-led policing operation in August 2017.
He admitted possessing the images at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (December 13).
Duffield will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on January 10.
An NSPCC spokesman said: “Duffield was looking at the worst kind of child abuse imagery – material which showed incredibly vulnerable children being subjected to the most horrific acts.
“These are real victims who have gone through hell and who now must live with the life-long damage child sexual abuse can cause.
“As a police officer, Duffield would have known that by possessing these awful images he has helped to fuel an industry which feeds off children’s suffering.
“Every time someone clicks on this material, the demand for more children to be abused increases.
“The NSPCC is calling on tech companies, government and law enforcement agencies to eradicate this growing problem at its source by stopping this content from being published and ensuring it is quickly taken down when it does appear online.”
Any adult worried about a child can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000, while children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or www.childline.org.uk.
