A former Greater Manchester Police officer has walked free from court after a sickening indecent video was found on his computer.
Lee Ashcroft was a serving PC in GMP's Special Operations team when the a raid was carried out on his home in Brookside Drive, Hyde, on 12 October 2020. It was not until two years later that he resigned, doing so three days before he pleaded guilty to making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child at Liverpool Crown Court on October 24 2022.
Today (Monday December 19) the 39-year-old cried in the dock as he was handed a 10-month sentence of imprisonment suspended for two years. The disgraced copper then covered his face as he left court.
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The court heard that after the raid in October 2020, Ashcroft's laptop had to be sent off to experts at the Government's intelligence headquarters, as he had installed encryption software to hamper access, as well as applications to wipe the device clean of incriminating evidence. Even after investigators cracked the code and discovered the vile movie, Ashcroft continued to plead his innocence and claimed that he had been the victim of an online fraud campaign, Liverpool Echo reports.
Neil Bisarya, prosecuting, described how a Dell laptop found underneath the bed in a back bedroom was seized, but encryption software installed on it meant officers were unable to access it and Ashcroft did not give the password. This saw the computer sent off to Government Communications Headquarters for analysis. This unearthed a seven minute 52 second video titled "!!!BoyScout.mpg", which showed a group of children aged between 10 and 13 "engaged in sexual activity".
Ashcroft had downloaded and viewed the clip - graded as being in category A, those showing the most serious forms of abuse - twice in quick succession on the morning of August 17, 2018. It was then deleted by "file shredding" software minutes later, but remained evident on a Zip file.
Another file entitled "12-year-old Swedish friends together" was discovered, but proved to be inaccessible. No other illegal materials were found.
Ashcroft had also installed VPN and peer-to peer-file sharing software on the laptop. Under interview at Huddersfield Police Station, he admitted accessing the dark web but claimed that this had been due to his interest in coding.
The pervert said he "may have inadvertently clicked a link showing indecent images", but he had never downloaded or viewed them. Ashcroft - who also served in the Territorial Army and is now working an IT job - also put forward a belief he had been the victim of an online fraud and that may have been how the sick video came to be.
He has no previous convictions. Oliver Jarvis, defending, said: "It has got to be accepted that this is someone who knowingly downloaded images of children, somebody who needs to be punished for that and accepts that.
"It is one image he is to be sentenced for. There is another side to this defendant.
"He has, in effect, thrown his life away but is rebuilding it with a very different kind of work. His family are standing by him - they know that there is a great deal of good in this man.
"The fact that there is no evidence of offending since 2018 is, in my submission, pivotal here. The defendant accepts he needs help."
Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said the presence of the various software was "deeply suspicious" but added: "You are here to be sentenced for a single file. You are of previous positive good character, and references all have a common theme of you having devoted your life to helping others.
"You are someone, even now, who is struggling to fully accept that you knowingly downloaded that image. There are clearly issues that have to be addressed that have caused you to go looking for indecent images of young boys engaged in sexual activities.
"You continue to deny any sexual interest in child. You are struggling to accept that you have a problem, and you need to address it. You have shown genuine remorse and shame. You have come very close today to going to prison."
Ashcroft was also told to serve 120 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 30 days. He must also pay £1,500 in costs plus a victim surcharge, was handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders register for the same period.
Judge Woodhall ordered the forfeiture of the seized device. The disgraced copper emerged from court in a change of clothes with his hood up and a mask on, covering his face with his hands in shame as he left the building.
Martha Dowd, senior crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service North West, said following the sentencing: "By downloading and viewing the video, Lee Ashcroft - a serving police officer - betrayed his position of trust in the community in the most abhorrent way. His job was to uphold the law and protect the public.
"Today he has been held accountable for actions, which fell far short of upholding those responsibilities. The CPS and the police will continue to work together to robustly prosecute anyone who commits such offences, particularly those in positions of trust in our society."
Detective Inspector Suzanne Keenaghan, of GMP's Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “We expect our officers and staff to uphold the highest standards and Ashcroft's behaviour fell well below what is expected. We will not stand for this behaviour and we are prepared to take robust action whenever any offending comes to light - whether by proactively identifying it ourselves or responding to reports made to us.
“Ashcroft's actions were inexcusable and have undermined the very essence of policing's core value of protecting the public and helping those in need. This kind of offending and abuse is depraved and sends a firm warning to those who feel that they can commit these offences from behind a computer screen - we will do all in our power to identify you and bring you to justice.
"I would encourage anyone affected by this case to contact police, or our partners, to report any abuse or exploitation so that the relevant authorities can act on it. I would also encourage our officers and staff to report any actions that are illegal or breach our professional standards."
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