A National Crime Agency officer has been jailed for 18 months after an investigation by the organisation's anti-corruption unit found he possessed hundreds of indecent images of children and extreme pornography.
Adam Taylor, aged 40, was working as an NCA intelligence officer at the time of his arrest in 2022. Searches of his computers and storage devices revealed more than 700 indecent images of children and a further 200 images of extreme pornography or bestiality.
Some of the images were retrieved from NCA equipment allocated to Taylor, of Waltham Abbey. The Crown Prosecution Service said that while Taylor had previously expressed an interest in specialising in child-exploitation work, the role he was employed for at the NCA did not require him to access child sexual-abuse and exploitation material.
Taylor was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday last week. He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image, and two counts of misconduct in public office.
He has also been handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be subject to the conditions of the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
Taylor was employed by the NCA since 2014. Analysis of his devices revealed he had been downloading child sexual-abuse material since at least 2012.
CPS special prosecutor Catrin Attwell said Taylor had intentionally used his job to obtain information that was helpful for viewing and downloading indecent images of children.
"The indecent images of children on the devices contained some of the most horrific sexual abuse," she said.
"His actions were a gross breach of the trust placed in him as an officer and severely undermined the integrity and standards expected from those in his position."
Attwell said joint work between the CPS and the NCA had left Taylor with "no option but to plead guilty and face the consequences of his actions".
NCA director general for operations Rob Jones said the organisation was committed to protecting children from sexual abuse, wherever it is happening.
"We are determined to ensure there is no safe haven for perpetrators, including and especially within law enforcement," he said.
"NCA officers from our anti-corruption unit carried out a meticulous, covert investigation which identified Taylor’s offending and ultimately brought him to justice.
"We welcome this custodial sentence which recognises the gravity of Taylor’s crimes."