ALISTAIR LEIPER FROM STREATHAM SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES IN LONDON

In a case that has shocked the local community and the wider public, Alistair Leiper, a police officer based in Westminster, was sentenced to two years in prison for heinous online crimes involving minors. The investigation into Leiper’s activities was initiated after authorities received credible information indicating that he had been engaging in illicit communications with underage girls through the internet.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Sexual Offences Exploitation and Child Abuse Command launched a detailed inquiry following reports that a man, operating under two pseudonyms, had been communicating with a child online. The investigation culminated in a raid on February 26, 2015, at an address in South London, specifically in Streatham, where officers uncovered four indecent videos involving children. They also found evidence of online chats in which Leiper falsely claimed to be a teenager himself, in his mid to late teens, in an attempt to deceive the minors he was communicating with.

Further investigation identified two 14-year-old girls within the UK who had been in contact with Leiper. The police’s efforts led to his arrest on August 27, 2015, after which he was suspended from his duties as a police officer. The gravity of his actions was made clear when he was formally charged on May 24, 2016. Following the conclusion of criminal proceedings, Leiper faced a misconduct review due to the serious nature of his offenses.

On March 3, at Southwark Crown Court, Leiper was sentenced after admitting to multiple charges. These included three counts of attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. During an earlier hearing on February 3, Leiper had pleaded guilty to these charges. The court also ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years and imposed a Sexual Health Prevention Order for five years.

Additional details revealed that Leiper, aged 37, had engaged in disturbing online behavior, including making two 14-year-old girls perform sex acts via Skype while he watched. Court evidence also showed that he had filmed another teenage girl performing a sex act. The police discovered three explicit videos on his computer during a raid at his Streatham residence, which further underscored the severity of his misconduct.

Leiper’s colleagues at the Westminster police force uncovered these videos during the investigation. Since his arrest, he has been suspended from duty and is now facing termination from the force. The court heard that Leiper admitted to three charges related to attempting to engage in sexual activities in the presence of a minor and causing or inciting a minor to engage in sexual acts. Additional charges, including making indecent images of a child and attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child, remain on file.

Judge Joanna Korner emphasized the seriousness of the case, stating, “With something as serious as this, I would need, any judge would need, to know whether he is dangerous. I’m going to order a pre-sentence report purely from the point of view of whether or not he is dangerous. There doesn’t appear to be any other proposal than a sentence of imprisonment.”

Leiper was released on conditional bail pending sentencing, which is scheduled to take place next month at Southwark Crown Court, as the legal process continues to unfold in this disturbing case.