Greater Manchester Police sergeant shared 'obscene' WhatsApp videos

Glynn Martin said he was "deeply ashamed" in a police misconduct hearing

A police sergeant who admitted being addicted to pornography was found to have shared a series of graphic videos on WhatsApp, a report has revealed.

Glynn Martin, of Greater Manchester Police, also shared images of explicit sexual violence and discriminatory jokes with fellow officers.

He resigned in March ahead of a misconduct hearing, the full details of which have now been released.

Mr Martin said he had sought counselling for pornography addiction.

The sergeant, who worked for the force for 14 years and was based in Rochdale, told the disciplinary panel he was "deeply ashamed" of his actions.

The hearing found the case would "harm public confidence in the police" at a time when there was "national concern about policing in respect of issues including racism, sexism, and Islamophobia."

Allegations against Mr Martin arose in November 2017 and he was arrested, but no criminal proceedings were brought against him.

Glynn Martin was investigated after using Whatsapp to send graphic sexual material in 2017

His behaviour was then investigated by Greater Manchester Police's professional standards branch.

During the hearing, he admitted to sending offensive content about disabled people.

One clip showed sex acts performed on an unconscious woman, while another featured an image containing a paragraph advocating sexual violence.

Some of material was sent to fellow police officers.

Mr Martin also received anti-Semitic and Islamophobic images, but said he could not recall viewing them or being aware they were on his phone.

Explaining his actions, Mr Martin said he often forwarded images and videos without viewing them properly or in full.

"This was part of my compulsion. I would never make the types of jokes I forwarded over WhatsApp out loud to anyone," he said.

Mr Martin said the images did not reflect his "thoughts, values or morals".

Though he had resigned a month before the hearing, the panel ruled the only appropriate action would have been dismissal.

They concluded his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and described the videos sent by Mr Martin as "obscene and deeply offensive".

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