Police officer 'distributed indecent photos of children under the alias Vile Degrader'
A West Yorkshire police community support officer (PCSO) involved in tackling cyber crime downloaded and distributed indecent images of children using the alias “Vile Degrader”, a court has heard.
Jonathan Plummer was working as a PCSO when the allegations are said to have taken place, working in Wakefield’s neighbourhood policing team as a cyber prevention officer.
Prosecutor Louise Reevell said police received intelligence linking the 33-year-old, from Leeds, to an indecent image of a child in October 2017.
He was arrested and cautioned in August 2018, and his home was searched and his mobile examined.
On the device, investigators found indecent images of children and extreme pornographic images and his alleged activity had been carried out through a heavily-encrypted app, Ms Reevell said.
The graphic content included babies being abused, sexual images featuring dogs and a video of a woman being mutilated, the court heard.
Ms Reevell said images were accessed and distributed under the alias “Vile Degrader” and said he had been in contact with a 16-year-old girl in Australia.
She also told jurors that Plummer had exchanged images with the teenager and discussed a fantasy about rape.
A police expert found that Google Translate had been used to search terms relating to indecent child images in Russian and Arabic, the court was told.
Ms Reevell said Plummer denied any offending when he was interviewed and gave a “technical explanation” of how the images got onto his phone.
Ms Reevell added: “In this case the prosecution will invite you, the jury, to conclude that the defendant is ‘vile degrader’ and it is not just a series of bizarre coincidences.
“He likes child pornography and extreme pornography and the Crown say he has obtained it and distributed it.”
Plummer pleaded not guilty to seven charges.
The charges are:
Count 1: Distributing indecent images of a child, between July 7, 2017 and August 14, 2018.
Count 2: Making indecent category A photographs of a child. - 339 still images and 133 moving images.
Count 3: Making indecent category B photographs of a child - 258 still images and 25 moving images.
Count 4: Making indecent category C photographs of a child - 1,250 still images and 42 moving images.
Count 5: Possessing prohibited images of a child - 248 still images and two moving images.
Counts 6 and 7: Possession of extreme pornographic images.
“Making” an indecent photograph includes downloading an image, storing an image or accessing one on a website.
The trial continues.
