A serving Greater Manchester Police officer has been jailed after an investigation by an online child abuse investigation team.
Mark Rosebury (38) of Earnshaw Road, Bacup, was arrested in May 2023 as part of an investigation by Lancashire Police into possession and distribution of indecent images of children.
Devices seized from Rosebury’s home showed hundreds of indecent images of children.
The offender (pictured) was jailed for 18 months at Preston Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing extreme images, and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.
Detective constable Aria Powell, of the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “It is important to stress that online offending is not a victimless crime. People who view these horrific images are effectively facilitating this type of crime, which affects so many children across the world.
“We have a clear duty to protect members of the public, and especially the most vulnerable, and this sentence should send a clear message to offenders that you will be brought to justice – irrespective of who you are, or your position in society.”
Detective chief superintendent Mike Allen, head of Greater Manchester Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “The public rightly expects the highest professional standards from those who serve in the police, and it is clear that the actions of Mark Rosebury fall disgracefully below that.
“He should be appalled by his crimes and the impact his actions understandably have on the public’s confidence in the overwhelming majority of officers who are professional, decent, hard-working people who serve their communities day-in day-out.
“We have assisted our colleagues in Lancashire throughout this case to ensure that Rosebury is brought to justice for his crimes.
“Rosebury remains suspended from the force and following his imprisonment today, legally we have now been able to stop his pay with immediate effect. A misconduct hearing will now be accelerated since there is no longer a risk to prejudicing criminal proceedings.”
