Former cyber-crime police officer secretly filmed children in swimming pool changing rooms

James Land, 43, used to work for an online crime unit and had collected explicit images of children for almost 20 years.

James Land, 43

A former PCSO has been locked up after a court heard how he secretly filmed children as young as three in a swimming pool's changing rooms.

James Land, 43, pleaded guilty to counts of voyeurism and to owning 365 indecent images of the most severe category between October 24th, 2012, and May 20th, 2021.

In April, Land of Abergele admitted to having category A images. He also admitted to owning more than 900 category B and C images and pleaded guilty to possessing 179 prohibited images of children, North Wales Live reports.

Derby Crown Court heard that Land, formally of Derbyshire Police, had collected child abuse videos and images for almost 20 years and was found hiding knickers belonging to girls as young as thirteen underneath his bed.

Land worked in a cybercrime unit at Derbyshire Police HQ before revealing his crimes.

Land secretly filmed children aged as young as three naked in the changing rooms of a local swimming pool and had also secretly videoed an adult woman engaged in sexual activity.

Jailing him for 27 months, Judge Nirmal Shant QC said: "An aggravating feature was that you were carrying out this activity for 19 years.

"And it is quite plain you specifically targeted incredibly young children. You used your presence in the changing rooms to record young children, which has caused great distress for the families."

As well as the jail term, Judge Shant handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to be on the sex offender register for ten years. When he was arrested in May last year, one of Land's roles was to "engage with children suspected of committing low-level computer misuse offences".

Generic picture of two Derbyshire police officers outside of Derby Crown Court

As part of that role, which he held from 2017 until his arrest last year, he was "involved in safeguarding advice to adults and engaged in providing talks to schools on online safety", his sentencing hearing was told.

The 43-year-old father-of-one, suspended by force following his arrest, has since quit his role at force HQ in Ripley.

Prosecuting Sarah Slater said officers became aware that an internet address linked to Land had been accessing indecent images of children, so his then address in The Hill was raided. She said from it was taken several electronic devices, including his police laptop.

The prosecutor said: "When the police downloaded and reviewed a hard drive, they located several images and a video of young children in various stages of undress within a swimming pool changing room. They were able to find this as Queen's Park Leisure Centre in Chesterfield, and the video was dated 2015.

"The police then obtained records from the swimming lessons being held at the pool to allow them to identify some of the children involved. They were able to find five of the children involved, but two still are unidentified.

"This video was made in the changing area and without the knowledge of those filmed. It is four minutes 17 seconds long, and the defendant also made two screenshot images from the video."

Ms Slater said police contacted the parents and guardians of those children they suspected might be in the video, and they could all confirm they were. She said sexually explicit images and videos were also found of an adult woman, all taken and filmed without her consent.

The prosecutor said: "The indecent images show children as young as two or three, both females and male, and some are visibly distressed in the photos. There was also an image of him exposing his private parts while on Derbyshire Constabulary premises."

Ms Slater read out two victim impact statements made by the parents of the children the defendant filmed. One said: "To know he was a police officer in the out community has thoroughly damaged our faith and trust of those who are expected to look after our children and us."

Darron Whitehead, mitigating, said his client pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity at the crown court and has no earlier convictions. He said: "On behalf of Mr Land, I offer to this court and all of the victims, in this case, an unreserved apology for what he's done, the offence he has caused and the impact it has had on them.

"None of the recordings or the received images have been shared with others in the broader circle. His marriage had broken down, and he was no longer in contact with his son.

"In this very room are his mother and father and two aunties, all of whom he feels have betrayed their values. He also feels he has betrayed the trust of the police force."