Ex-police officer jailed over child abuse images

Clayton Lackenby admitted having images and videos of children as young as two on his computer

A former Borders police officer has been jailed for eight months after downloading more than 3,000 images of child sexual abuse over a three-year period.

Clayton Lackenby, 50, last month pleaded guilty to having images and videos of children as young as two on his computer.

They were found after police raided his home in Ancrum in July, 2022.

The then-police sergeant was immediately suspended and shortly afterwards resigned from Police Scotland.

Sentencing him at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Sheriff Daniel Kelly told him that, given the period of time of the offending and the age of the children, there was no alternative to a custodial sentence.

Lackenby's defence lawyer Iain Cahill said his client has been engaging with the sexual offenders’ charity Stop It Now and “none of the offending material is linked to him working as a police officer”.

Mr Cahill said: “Mr Lackenby acknowledges the seriousness of the offence he has pled guilty to. He has shown a significant degree of remorse.

"Mr Lackenby has indicated he has no sexual interest in children and no sexual interest in the material he downloaded, but he accepts the custody threshold has been met.”

Lackenby, who has since moved to Hawick, was jailed and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Sheriff Kelly also said Scottish ministers would be contacted for consideration of Lackenby being added to the list of those deemed unsuitable for working with children and vulnerable adults in the future.

A previous hearing was told that the images and videos found on three computers underwent a cyber crime examination.

As a result more than 500 images and 85 videos were rated as Category A - the most serious sex abuse images.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the outcome at court. He is no longer a serving officer."