Former Leicestershire Police officer jailed for child sex offences

Leicestershire Police said it would be making sure Richards was banned from the profession

A former police officer has been jailed for multiple child sex offences.

Christopher Richards resigned as a detective constable with Leicestershire Police following his arrest in March 2020.

The 45-year-old, from Loughborough, was given a six-year sentence following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

The jury found him guilty of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence.

Richards, of Park Road, Loughborough, had admitted eight counts of making indecent or pseudo photos of a child at a previous hearing.

'Abhorrent offences'

Leicestershire Police said Richards was immediately suspended from the force while Nottinghamshire Police led the investigation. He resigned in May 2020.

Det Con Sarah Clarke, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Richards very clearly has a sexual interest in children and made clear attempts to engage young people in sexual activity.

"Without the very proactive work of numerous police officers he may well have been successful in this ambition."

Det Supt Rich Ward, head of the professional standards department at Leicestershire Police, described the officer's behaviour as "completely unacceptable".

"Richards should have been a person who the public and force could trust without question to carry out his duty as a police officer and to demonstrate the highest level of personal and professional behaviour," he said.

"He has severely breached this trust we had in him by committing these abhorrent offences."

He added although the officer resigned, the force would process internal misconduct proceedings against him "to ensure Richards is barred from working in policing".