July 2007 Pervert cop jail let-off A ROW erupted yesterday after a pervert ex-cop who indecently assaulted a girl of 12 in her bed was set free by a judge. Retired chief inspector John Walker, 53, had admitted attacking the girl during a sleepover at his home. He crept into her room and, as the child pretended to sleep, put his hand inside her knickers. A court heard the girl was later physically sick, but felt too scared to tell anyone about the incident, which changed her life “dramatically”. Walker, a dad, was spared jail by Judge Christopher Metcalf at Leicester Crown Court because he halted his attack when overcome by “disgust”. Walker, of Cossington, who took an overdose after the assault, was given three years’ community rehabilitation and put on the sex offenders’ register. But ChildLine charity chiefs blasted his let-off. Director Denise Robertson said: “Abuse devastates children. Sentences must reflect the damage done to victims.”