A former detective superintendent was jailed on November 9 for possessing extreme pornographic images after illegal files were found on his phone.
Stuart Cheek, 44, who worked for Hertfordshire Police and was stationed out of St Albans, was found to have files classed as extreme pornography on his personal phone when it was searched by specially trained officers.
The illegal images – which include scenes of pornographic acts likely to cause serious harm and bestiality – were sent and received via WhatsApp Messenger under the display name ‘Cheeky’.
The ex-officer was also charged for a computer misuse offence, in which he was found to have accessed a number of files on a number of police systems without a legitimate policing purpose.
Cheek was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment at Aylesbury Crown Court.
Cheek joined the constabulary in February 2018 and was initially posted to St Albans. He was then posted to the force’s Domestic Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit. He was later promoted to superintendent and placed within the force’s Community Safety and Crime Reduction Unit which is based at Police Headquarters in Welwyn Garden City.
He was suspended on July 27, 2020 and resigned from the force in June 2022.
Herts Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Nicholls said: “This has been a difficult case and the judge spoke about Cheek’s lack of remorse throughout. The public quite rightly expect the police to uphold the highest standards and, in this instance, when matters came to light, an investigation was immediately launched. The actions of this former officer are totally unacceptable and betray the trust that was placed in him by this force. I hope that our robust and zero tolerance approach reassures the public that swift action will always be taken when allegations emerge.”
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