Ex-PC who uploaded child sex content is banned
Suffolk ConstabularyA former Suffolk Police officer who admitted making indecent content of children during his probationary period would have been banned if he had not already left the force.
Robert Askew was given an 18-month community order and put on the sex offenders' register, after pleading guilty to one count of making a category C movie of children.
The 27-year-old, from near Bury St Edmunds, had been arrested by officers in August 2024 after police received information about the uploading of illegal material online.
At a police hearing it was ruled that Askew, who resigned from the force in April, engaged in "serious gross misconduct" and he was placed on the barred list.
Assistant Chief Officer Nicholas Davison, who chaired the hearing, said: "I find the former officer's behaviour is so serious, given its nature and his conviction, as to justify dismissal and therefore I find gross misconduct."
Askew joined Suffolk Police on 12 September 2022 as a police constable.
During his probationary period, the force said it received information from the National Crime Agency about a Kik messaging app account associated with his email address.
It was found to have uploaded indecent images of children - and further investigation revealed the upload related to the officer's home address, where a search was carried out in 2024 and a phone was seized.
Askew admitted an offence at Norwich Magistrates' Court in May this year, and was sentenced in July.
Davison said the behaviour was "completely at odds" with what would be expected of a police officer.
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