Adam Merriman, a 38-year-old former police constable with the Metropolitan Police, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for a series of heinous crimes against children, marking the end of a long investigation into his predatory behaviour. Merriman, who served in the Met's team policing Barnet, Brent, and Harrow in northwest London, was described by Judge Mark Weekes at Southwark Crown Court as a 'deeply entrenched, predatory and highly manipulative paedophile'. His crimes, which involved direct sexual abuse of young children and the distribution of indecent images, were facilitated by his status as a police officer, allowing him to target and trap victims via social media.
The court heard that Merriman carried out acts of sickening abuse, including sexual assault of a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of children, and arranging or facilitating child sex offences. He pleaded guilty to three charges of distributing indecent images of children, three counts of making such images, resisting arrest, and two counts of publishing an obscene article. Following a trial in March 2025, he was convicted by a jury on additional charges: one count of sexual assault of a child, five counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, and four charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. Merriman's victims may have been 'scarred for life', having been directly assaulted and forced to witness his sexual activities.
Merriman's online activities exposed the full extent of his depravity. He downloaded and distributed indecent images to what he believed was a fellow paedophile, but it was an undercover officer. In separate chats with an individual known as 'Granddad', Merriman shared fantasies of drugging children to sexually assault and rape them, and exchanged images to 'feed' the other's desires. The judge described these conversations as 'repellent' and noted Merriman's 'cold and chilling' ability to lie convincingly during the trial. He attempted to delete digital evidence, including WhatsApp messages detailing his fantasies, but investigators recovered them.
Merriman was arrested in March 2024 outside his local gym in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, where he resisted arrest by trying to break free from handcuffs applied by fellow officers. He quit the Metropolitan Police on 8 March 2024, the same day he admitted to the image-related charges, and was found guilty of gross misconduct in a disciplinary hearing, which ruled he would have been dismissed had he not resigned. Details of the case were restricted for 18 months but were lifted following an application by The Standard in the public interest, allowing reporting on 19 September 2025.
Judge Weekes imposed a nine-year custodial sentence, with an additional five years on extended licence due to the ongoing risk Merriman poses. The judge remarked on Merriman's lack of remorse, describing him as 'cold and detached' in probation assessments. Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, leading policing in northwest London, stated: 'Everyone in the Met will be utterly appalled by former PC Merriman’s actions. He is clearly a dangerous sexual predator who poses a risk to women and children.' The Metropolitan Police's investigation, aided by undercover officers, highlighted the force's commitment to rooting out such individuals, especially in the wake of broader clean-up efforts following high-profile cases.