Darren Bond

A former Avon and Somerset Police officer, Darren Bond, has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to eight counts of possessing, making, and distributing indecent images of children. The offences occurred between January 2014 and November 2017, during which time Bond, aged 46 and from Weston-super-Mare, amassed a collection of 579 indecent images and six videos from two seized mobile phones. Over 150 of these were classified as Category A, the most severe category, with many victims as young as eight years old.

Bond, who had previously worked for the Metropolitan Police and was seconded to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Bristol, was arrested in November 2017 after removing location-hiding software from his computer, which inadvertently revealed his address to investigating officers. The court heard that Bond had a particular interest in images of young girls aged 11 to 14, though many depicted even younger children. At Gloucester Crown Court on Monday, Judge Ian Lawrie remarked on Bond's 'profound state of denial', stating, 'He states he has no sexual interest in the images... surely being a policeman seconded to CID he should be able to grasp this?' The judge emphasised that Bond had 'not recognised the barbarity of his actions' and rejected claims of no sexual interest based on the search criteria used.

In mitigation, defence barrister Michael Hall argued that Bond had made 'significant progress' since admitting his guilt in August. However, the pre-sentence report indicated otherwise, with Judge Lawrie noting that Bond was 'back where he was a year ago, in denial'. The sentencing crossed the custody threshold due to the severity of the material and Bond's position of trust as a police officer. Chief Constable Andy Marsh of Avon and Somerset Police condemned Bond's actions, saying they had perpetuated 'a vile industry and encourages offenders to commit acts of abuse'. Bond was dismissed without notice at a police disciplinary hearing earlier this month and has been placed on the National College of Policing's barred list, as well as ordered to sign the sex offenders' register.

This case, reported by the BBC on 3 September 2020, highlights the betrayal of public trust by a serving officer involved in child exploitation material. Bond's guilty plea came after his initial court appearance in August, following earlier reports of his impending dismissal.