Former police worker invited offenders to watch him abuse fictional eight-year-old nephew - The Coventry Observer

Former police worker invited offenders to watch him abuse fictional eight-year-old nephew

Coventry Editorial 19th Oct, 2018   0

A FORMER police worker who used an online chatroom to view indecent images of children has been found guilty.

David Gunn, 55, of Bull Street in Stratford, was arrested by National Crime Agency officers in June 2016 on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.

Investigators discovered Gunn’s online persona ‘smokepig’ was present in an online chatroom where pre-recorded child sexual abuse was being streamed.

Examination of his electronic devices found Gunn – formerly of Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire and who worked at a front enquiry office for Thames Valley Police – had previously invited chatroom users to watch him abuse his fictional eight-year-old nephew.




He claimed he did this to trap other users and report them to the police.

But Gunn did not take any notes or report anything to officers.


On Thursday (October 18), a jury at Reading Crown Court unanimously convicted him of five counts of making indecent images of children. He will be sentenced on 16 November.

Crime agency operations manager Graham Ellis said: “Gunn was logged into the online chatroom at the time the pre-recorded images were being streamed, showing his interest in viewing such material.

“He claimed he invented an eight-year-old to trap other online users in the same chatroom, but didn’t provide us with any evidence this was his plan, and didn’t subsequently report it to police.

“With the rise of digital technology, sharing images and moving footage has never been easier, whether that be on the dark web, or on more conventional social media websites.

“Offenders think they won’t be found. They are wrong.

“The NCA and our law enforcement partners are committed to tackling the threat posed by offenders like Gunn, and will bring them to justice.”

Anyone concerned about their own or someone elses behaviour towards children can email [email protected] or call 0808 1000 900 to contact the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

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