William Redwood, 24, a former Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) with Surrey Police, has been sentenced to six years in prison following his guilty plea to 33 offences related to the making, taking, and distribution of indecent images of children. He was also found guilty of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The victims, both boys and girls, were aged between 12 and 17 at the time the offences occurred. Redwood committed these crimes between the ages of 17 and 22.
Redwood began his career with Surrey Police as a PCSO in Runnymede in October 2019. However, less than a year later, in August 2020, concerns were raised by his supervisor regarding his inappropriate and undisclosed associations. Further investigation revealed that Redwood had accessed confidential police information without a legitimate reason.
Surrey Police’s Anti-Corruption Unit launched an investigation that led to the seizure of Redwood’s mobile phone. The device contained indecent images of children, prompting the case to be transferred to Surrey Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team. Redwood resigned prior to an internal misconduct hearing in December 2020, which concluded that he would have been dismissed and subsequently placed on the barred list.
Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp issued a statement on the case, saying, “This case has had a devastating impact on the victims involved and I commend them for their bravery in providing us with statements which led to him pleading guilty at an earlier hearing. I hope all those affected by his abhorrent criminal actions can take some comfort in the fact that he is now behind bars and that it gives them some closure.”
He added, “It is extremely regrettable that Redwood had the privilege of serving as a PCSO with Surrey Police. As soon as these concerns came to light, he was suspended from duty and a thorough and determined investigation was carried out. A subsequent misconduct hearing found that he would have been dismissed had he not resigned.”
Deputy Chief Constable Kemp concluded, “Surrey Police will always proactively seek to identify and remove individuals who fail to abide by the standards of professional behaviour or meet the rigorous expectations of the public. The severity of the custodial sentence given to him today is welcome and reflects the gravity of his offending and marks the conclusion of a traumatic and complex investigation.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
