Former police officer convicted of possession of extreme pornography

Today at Bristol Crown Court, Ian Stevenson, 57, from Wanborough, was convicted of one count of possessing extreme pornography.

Stevenson, a former Wiltshire Police Inspector, was fined £500, made to pay £80 costs and was given a deprivation order regarding his phone after admitting he had 144 illegal images.

This relates to a Wiltshire Police investigation which began in 2020 – after Stevenson had left the organisation.

It was not possible to confirm the exact dates the offence occurred, therefore we are unable to say whether this offending took place when Stevenson was a serving Wiltshire Police officer.

However, had this offence come to light when he was a serving officer, this would have amounted to gross misconduct and appropriate criminal and conduct action would have been taken.

Assistant Chief Constable Deb Smith said: “Like the communities we serve, we find the nature of this offence abhorrent.

“Although it is not possible for us to say categorically that this offending did not take place whilst Stevenson was a serving officer, I can appreciate the questions and concerns it raises.

“We are totally committed to tackling offences of this nature and will robustly investigate – without fear or favour – when allegations are made, as we did with this case as soon as the possession of the images was identified.”