Two retired Metropolitan Police officers have admitted a three-year plot to share child sexual abuse images with a serving Met chief inspector, who was found dead before he was charged.
Jack Addis, 63, from Perthshire and Jeremy Laxton, 62, pled guilty at Southwark Crown Court to a charge of conspiring with Richard Watkinson, 49, to distribute or show indecent images of children.
Watkinson, who was a serving Met chief inspector for neighbourhood policing at the West Area Command Unit, was found dead in Buckinghamshire on January 12.
He had been suspended from duty following his arrest in July 2021 and was that day due to answer bail to be charged with the conspiracy, as well as three counts of making indecent photos of a child, voyeurism and two counts of misconduct in public office.
His death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious and an inquest has opened and adjourned.
The court heard Laxton has previously pled guilty to similar offences at Lincoln Crown Court, while Addis, is a serving prisoner in Scotland.
He appeared in court by video-link from HMP Dumfries where he is serving an 18-month sentence for three counts of voyeurism and possessing indecent photographs of a child.
Images of the worst kind
According to the charge, the three men conspired to “distribute or show indecent images of children to each other” between January 1 2018 and July 10 2021.
The images, which were found on a computer hard drive, included 2,516 in Category A – the worst kind – 1,032 in Category B and 1,701 in Category C.
Laxton, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, also pled guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child, possession of a prohibited image, possessing an extreme pornographic image and possession of cannabis on or before 20 September 2021.
The images include 6,086 in Category A, 4,039 in Category B, 3,597 in Category C, seven prohibited images of a child and 56 extreme pornographic images which were “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an extreme character” depicting a person having sex with an animal, according to the indictment.
He further admitted a charge of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of the offence of misconduct in a public office between December 1 2019 and May 1 2021.
Judge Tony Baumgartner adjourned sentencing to a date to be fixed and granted Laxton conditional bail ahead of the next hearing on June 23.
The judge said: “A lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable but I will extend bail again to allow him to put his life in order.”
Investigation
At the defendants’ first appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this year, prosecutor Edward Franklin said some of the images discovered in the investigation were at the “highest end” of Category A.
Met officers found Watkinson’s body having attended an address in Saunderton, Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, following welfare concerns.
Commander Jon Savell previously said: “Chief Inspector Watkinson was facing extremely serious and concerning charges, as the result of a painstaking and thorough police investigation.
“Before this matter came to light, we had no previous information about these allegations or to indicate the officer posed any risk to the public.
“He had not faced any other criminal or conduct matters during his Met career.
“He had been suspended from duty since his arrest.
“Two other men were also arrested during the course of the investigation and have been charged, their matters will now progress through the courts.”
NSPCCC appeal
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Conspiring to share indecent images of children is an abhorrent crime that facilitates abuse and has the potential to harm the victims pictured with every share.
“It is even more shocking when perpetrated by former members of the police, who of all people would have been aware of the devastating impact that sharing child abuse material can have on the victims.
“Adults who are concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can speak to a trained child protection specialist at the NSPCC Helpline via help@nspcc.org.uk, while Childline is there for young people on 0800 1111 or www.childline.org.uk”.
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