Child porn police trainee walks free

A TRAINEE policeman who collected depraved images of child abuse walked free from court after a judge said that jailing him would be a ‘drain on resources’.

Peter McIlduff, pictured, was arrested after detectives discovered the 39-yearold was communicating with a known paedophile in an internet chat room where pictures of child pornography were traded. Officers raided his home in Stockport, Greater Manchester, last September and confiscated a laptop from his locker at Wythenshawe police station.

They recovered hundreds of images downloaded over a three-year period, including 69 of the most disgusting scenes of abuse – labelled category A – featuring children as young as three.

Judge Paul Lawton imposed a 12-month suspended jail sentence after hearing that McIlduff had sought counselling, adding: ‘As there has been a rise in defendants going to prison, there is a drain on resources and staff.’

McIlduff, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to making and possessing indecent images of a child.