A woman faced court after sending obscene photographs of her child to a man with a sexual interest in children.
The man, who lives outside of the county, was detained after speaking with what he believed to be a youngster online. He was, however, conversing with a police officer who was working undercover.
His devices were seized, and when examined, indecent photographs of a child were discovered.
Following an investigation, the photographs were discovered to have been taken in Gloucestershire, and the Constabulary’s Indecent photographs of Children team took on the matter.
The lady was arrested and charged with taking and sharing category C indecent photographs of her child.
Data from her phone revealed that she was aware that the man she had been having an affair with had a criminal background, including the type and severity of his offences, and that he may represent a risk.
The woman is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date and is on court bail with the condition of having no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18.
The man, who had 17 previous convictions, admitted to sexually communicating with a kid and possessing indecent photos of children.
Detective Constable Amy Greenway, the investigating officer, said: “We haven’t named the woman because we want to protect the victim, but we wanted to publicise this case to illustrate the behind-the-scenes work that goes into protecting children.
“The home is supposed to be a safe haven for a child, but we all know that is not always the case, and that individuals prey on the most vulnerable.
“It’s even worse when it’s done by someone who’s supposed to safeguard children and should be a trustworthy adult.
“Unfortunately, her motivations remain unknown because she refused to answer any questions presented to her during the interview.
“However, there is no explanation for such vile behaviour, and we are relieved that this child is now safe.
“Our team is dedicated to arresting and prosecuting those who endanger children. We hope the court’s decision reflects the terrible stress and peril this mother exposed her child to.”
Gloucestershire Constabulary has Child Exploitation and Indecent Images of Children teams that investigate these types of crimes.
If you are concerned about someone’s behaviour towards a kid, or something you have seen, heard, or been told, you can utilise Sarah’s Law to determine whether that individual poses a risk to children.
The kid Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme allows you to formally ask the police whether someone who has contact with a kid or children has a history of child sexual (paedophile) offences or constitutes a risk to the child or children for any other reason.
Read more about it here: Sarah’s Law (Child Sexual Offender Disclosure Scheme) | Gloucestershire Constabulary
If you are concerned about a child’s safety, you can contact police by dialling 101 for non-emergencies or 999 in an emergency. Read more about it here: How To Report Possible Child Abuse | Gloucestershire Constabulary
If you have issues about your own internet use, inappropriate ideas or actions towards children, or if you are concerned about how someone you know acts, please contact the Lucy Faithfull Foundation at https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk.
You can also contact the confidential Stop It Now! helpline at 0808 1000 900 or email help@stopitnow.org.uk.