Former Wiltshire Police inspector found in possession of ‘extreme pornography’

A former Wiltshire Police inspector who was found with extreme pornography has been convicted at Bristol Crown Court.

Ian Stevenson, 57 and from Wanborough, was convicted of one count of possessing "extreme pornography" at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 26 May.

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

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

The force said it could not confirm the exact dates the offence occurred so it was unable to say whether this offending took place when Stevenson was a serving officer.

A police spokesman said: “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.”