GigaTribe

Dec 17, 2015

Clean Up Yorkshire Shame of child-porn police sergeant North Yorkshire Police officer Andrew Nicholson of Nafferton accused of possesion of indecent images and one charge of distribution of an indecent image. 17:30Thursday 17 December 2015 A shamed police sergeant who distributed child porn has resigned from his role as a church leader, youth leader and school governor, a court heard. Married North Yorkshire officer Andrew Duncan Nicholson, 42, of Driffield, has not only resigned from his job, but has given up his church, youth and school activities, Hull Crown Court heard (Monday December 14). The full significance of his public hypocrisy emerged as he appeared for sentence after pleading guilty to one offence of distributing an indecent image of a child and possession of three indecent images found on his iPhone. Crown barrister Stephen Robinson said Sgt Nicholson became the target of a police investigation into paedophile users of the Gigatribe file sharing programme on July 3 2013. An officer known as Gary logged into Gigatribe unaware that the man using the name Chambers 777 was a serving police officer and was operating under an IP address in his wife’s name. Mr Robinson said a chat started with pleasantries and led to the undercover officer asking Nicholson: “Are you trading today?” Nicholson, using the name Chambers 777 replied: “Indeed.” The police officer downloaded a picture which which was a category C image. Mr Robinson said: “By providing the password for a folder on Gigatribe the defendant distributed that one image.” He said it was not until March 4 2014 that Humberside Police, acting on information in force intelligence, executed a search warrant at Nicholson’s home address in Driffield. His Apple iPhone was seized. That was later analysed and found to have three indecent images of girls on it. Mr Robinson said: “There were other photos of younger females. It was not possible to say their ages. Urging the judge not to jail the police sergeant, defence barrister Paul Fleming said the possibility of jail had been on his mind ever since his arrest. Judge Kate Buckingham asked Mr Fleming: “What regard should I take to the fact he is a church leader, faith leader, guider of young people? Is that relevant?” Mr Fleming said: “He has withdrawn from all his voluntary positions, and as you know he resigned from his occupation. “This does not make the offences more serious, but merely matter to be recognised as part of his fall from grace.” He said Nicholson had “disengaged” from using the Gigatribe website at the end of 2013, prior to his home being searched. “He has shown a candor and willingness to comply with rehabilitation. It is a very real prospect. I ask the court to take a view a community penalty would be appropriate here.” The court heard the maximum sentence for both offences is 26 weeks imprisonment according to sentencing guidelines with a starting point of a community penalty. The judge was told she could not impose a requirement to attend a 36-week sex offenders’ treatment programme as part of a suspended sentence as the order could not last longer than the prison sentence. Judge Buckingham told him: “I am going to take a little time to think of the appropriate sentence in this case. I will sentence you on Friday December 18. You must understand by adjourning this matter it is not an indication of the sentence one way or another.” Trending