Benedict Ashton

A former Metropolitan Police Special Constable from Bromley has been sentenced for possessing child abuse images, following an investigation sparked by a referral from the National Crime Agency.

Benedict Ashton, 38, of College Road in Bromley, was arrested in August 2022. The case began when a Twitter user, claiming to be a 13-year-old boy, requested images of children. Investigators traced the account, associated email address, and IP address directly to Ashton. During his interview, he admitted to possessing the indecent images.

Ashton appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, for sentencing after pleading guilty to making eight category B indecent images of a child and 24 category C indecent images of a child. District Judge Sarah Turnock imposed a six-month community order, which includes 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity. Additionally, Ashton must sign the sex offenders’ register for five years and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). The SHPO restricts his internet usage and prohibits unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 without approval from his supervising officer or social services.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated that a misconduct hearing for former Special Constable Ashton took place on January 30, 2023. The hearing concluded that he would have been dismissed if still serving. He was added to the College of Policing barred list. The outcome notice was not published at the time to avoid prejudicing the ongoing criminal proceedings.

This case highlights the vigilance of agencies like the National Crime Agency in monitoring online activities related to child exploitation. Ashton, who served as a Special Constable, betrayed public trust through his actions involving indecent images of children.