Retired police officer Michael Gear caught in sting for child abuse images

RETIRED POLICE OFFICER MICHAEL GEAR CAUGHT IN STING FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES

A retired Hampshire police officer has been caught in a sting after sending explicit messages to a person he believed was a 12-year-old girl.

The officer, Michael Gear, aged 65, from Totton, initially started a conversation with an individual he thought was the child's mother, 'Jenny', who was in fact an undercover officer.

It was then that Gear, of Denbigh Close, sent explicit images and a video of himself pleasuring himself to the decoy.

He admitted to charges including making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornographic images, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and facilitating a child sex offence.

Gear carried out his offending between May 30 and August 5 of the previous year.

During the investigation, officers found 27 images of children on his phone at his home, including six category A images, which are the most severe, along with other category B and C images, as well as eight extreme images.

The images depicted children aged from one to eight years old.

The judge sentenced Gear to a 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months, with a requirement to complete 40 rehabilitation days.

He was also fined £1,110, ordered to pay £500 in prosecution costs, and must register as a sex offender for ten years.

The judge condemned Gear's actions, emphasizing that such images contribute to the corruption of children worldwide.

The sentencing remarks included: 'You have been in court before, but this is the first time you have fallen foul of the law.

If it wasn’t for people like you who watch these things they would not be distributed or marketed.' The officer's actions were condemned by the court as they highlighted the serious nature of his crimes and their impact on children.