A POLICE officer from St Albans has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for photographing and distributing indecent images of children. David Geering, aged 48, was caught after contacting an undercover police officer from the Met s Paedophile Unit who wa

A POLICE officer from St Albans has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for photographing and distributing indecent images of children.

David Geering, aged 48, was caught after contacting an undercover police officer from the Met's Paedophile Unit who was posing online as a 12-year-old girl.

Geering was serving as a detective constable with the Met Police's homicide and serious crime team at the time of the offences.

He was arrested last March and suspended from duty pending the outcome of the case.

Further investigations revealed that Geering, who used the false name of Nigel Robotham, was involved in distributing hundreds of indecent images of children to other paedophiles.

Officers traced his use of computers to an internet café in Victoria, central London, a residential address in Herts and an address in Spain.

Items recovered during his arrest linked him to the user names and identity used to contact the undercover officer.

After liaising with other police forces, the Paedophile Unit discovered that Geering had been trading indecent images of children with others, and some of the pictures were Level 5, the most extreme category.

Police also examined a camera memory card which revealed indecent images of two children which Geering had taken himself.

Geering, who was convicted in April, was required to resign. He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (29/5)

Det Supt Sue Knight of the Met's Child Abuse Investigation Command, said: "This case will be another reminder to paedophiles that wherever they go and whatever their occupation, the Met's Paedophile Unit will respond to all allegations about individuals who may be putting children at risk of abuse and will track the perpetrator down.

"If anyone has concerns that David Geering may have made contact with their child, perhaps by using his pseudonym of Nigel Robotham, they should contact the Met's Paedophile Unit on 020 7161 3871.