Police officers on child porn charges

TWO police officers involved in the Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells murder inquiry today appeared at Ipswich Crown Court charged with child pornography offences.

Pc Antony Goodridge and Detective Constable Brian Stevens came into the dock separately to enter their pleas.

Goodridge, 34, pleaded guilty to possessing 330 indecent photographs of children on September 12 last year in Cambridgeshire.

However he denied distributing an indecent photograph of a child and possessing an indecent photograph of a child with a view to distributing it between June 17 and September 13, last year.

Andrew Cambell-Tiech prosecuting said the pleas were acceptable to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Maria Dineen defending Goodridge asked for a pre sentence report and a psychiatric report to be prepared before sentencing.

Goodridge was released from court on bail with conditions to live at an address known to the court but prohibited from publication, to report regularly to a police station and to surrender his passport.

Judge John Holt said Goodridge would be sentenced on March 28. "You must be aware that all the court's sentencing options remain open," he added.

Stevens, 41, pleaded not guilty to five charges of possessing an indecent photograph of a child between January 1 and September 13 last year and three charges of distributing an indecent photograph of a child between the same dates.

Stevens also denied two charges of indecently assaulting a female under the age of 16 between January and August 2001 in Cambridgeshire and one charge of indecently assaulting another underage female between October 1998 and October 2001.

Stevens' case was adjourned until February 21 for a directions hearing. He was released on bail with conditions to report each week to a police station.

Stevens was a Police Family Liaison Officer during the investigation into the disappearance and alleged murder of the 10-year-old friends from Soham. Goodridge was an exhibits' officer during the investigation.