Porn addict police sergeant who shared vile videos of sexual violence on WhatsApp resigns in shame

"I am deeply ashamed of my actions," married Glynn Martin told a disciplinary hearing which found him guilty of gross misconduct.

Glyn Martin was based at Rochdale Police Station.

A police sergeant resigned in disgrace after an investigation found he had shared vile pornographic videos and discriminatory jokes on WhatsApp.

Married Glyn Martin, a respected officer with Greater Manchester Police for fourteen years, left the force in shame weeks before a disciplinary hearing found him guilty of gross misconduct. The Rochdale-based officer - who has received counselling for a confessed addiction to online porn - shared a series of vile clips, some showing sexual violence and bestiality and two offensive pictures featuring disabled people.

He also received - but did not forward - anti-Semitic and Islamophobic content and an image glorifying a white supremacist. Martin confessed to 'sexting' and engaging in "multiple concurrent chats" online. "I am deeply ashamed of my actions," he said.

Sergeant Martin resigned in March ahead of a disciplinary hearing on April 25th and concluded he would have been dismissed from the force had he not already left. Details of the shocking images and videos he shared on WhatsApp have been revealed in the disciplinary panel's formal judgement on the case, which has been published on the force's website.

The former officer refused to attend the hearing at force Headquarters in Newton Heath in person. Still, the disciplinary panel allowed his request to attend remotely via the Rochdale Police Station, where he was based. According to the judgement, he did not want to take part in person as he felt 'anxiety'. The panel was told Martin joined the force in December 2003 and was promoted to sergeant in September 2010.

It reveals that he received images and videos "of an obscene, offensive and inappropriate nature" and then sent some of them to others between March and November 2017. The material was uncovered when Lancashire Police searched the officer's home.

The first message, on March 22nd, 2017, had a "sexually offensive" picture featuring a young disabled person - Mr Martin admitted he sent it and told the disciplinary panel: "I accept this was offensive and inappropriate, and I deeply regret sending the image."

The following day, he sent a compilation video that featured "extreme pornography of an adult male performing self-mutilation". He said he did not recall the clip and insisted he believed he sent it without viewing all of it. He insisted he did not find the video "funny or interesting" but accepted he had been "inappropriate and reckless" in sending it.

He admitted he sent another 'offensive' clip the same day, showing extreme pornography featuring sexually explicit violence on male genitalia. Again, he told the hearing he did not remember the pin and sent it without viewing it. He accepted it had been "inappropriate and reckless" to send it.

Some sixteen minutes later, he sent another video showing a man "engaged in bestiality". Martin said he did not remember this clip and insisted he had sent it without viewing it entirely. He told the hearing: "I regret sending it."

A week later, on March 30th, he admitted he sent another offensive clip showing a man performing sex acts on an unconscious woman. He said he regretted sending it, did not find the content "funny or interesting", and could not recall sending it.

That night he admitted he saved an offensive image from Twitter featuring a disabled person and then sent it via WhatsApp. He told the hearing: "I did not intend to offend anybody by sending the image, which does not reflect my thoughts, values or morals. I deeply regret my actions."

A few days later, on April 1st, he sent an image on WhatsApp showing a paragraph "advocating sexual violence". Martin told the hearing: "I accept that it was inappropriate of me to forward these images. They certainly do not reflect my thoughts, values, or morals. I uphold the law. I do not condone the committing of serious sexual offences. I deeply regret my actions."

On April 4th, he sent a video of a pornographic actor whose face had been superimposed with offensive comments. "I regret forwarding this inappropriate and distasteful video," said the officer.

A week later, on April 11th, he admitted sending another video featuring extreme pornography and sexually explicit violence, although he said he could not recall doing so. He told the panel: "I do not find the content funny or interesting, and it was sent on without viewing it in full. I accept this was inappropriate and reckless and regret sending it."

Martin received a video of a woman "engaged in bestiality" on October 13th, but he said he could not remember it. He received another at 5 am on October 18th, which featured extreme pornography and sadomasochism. He received another compilation of extreme pornography on October 21st, four minutes and thirty-seven long. He said he could recall neither.

The following month, on November 15th, he received an image with anti-Semitic content. "I do not recall ever viewing this image or being aware that it was on my phone," he told the panel. A few days later, on November 19th, he received an image featuring "Islamophobic graphic content". The next day, he received another Islamophobic picture. He said he could recall neither.

The final image he received on November 23rd showed an idea that glorified a "white supremacist racist" with references to slavery. He said he could not recall the picture.

Martin explained his actions to the panel: "In 2017, I used WhatsApp compulsively. I sent and received many messages on WhatsApp. I sent and received many images and videos on WhatsApp too. I did not open to enlarge all the photos I received. I did not view all the videos I received in full or at all.

"I often forwarded images and videos without viewing them correctly or on the whole. This was part of my compulsion. I often received media on my phone and instantly sent it on to others, usually individually rather than in a group chat, to make them laugh or keep a conversation going so that I felt wanted or good about myself for making someone laugh.

"For example, I often received a video genre called "Simply Lovleh". They are funny compilations, but I understand now that some clips in those Simply Lovleh compilations were offensive. There was an occasion when I forwarded one of these compilations without viewing it in full and later realised that it contained something offensive and so apologised to those I had sent it to."

He added: "I accept that it was reckless of me to send on images or videos without ensuring their contents. I sought help for this addiction through counselling. I accept that some images and videos I sent were obscene, distasteful, and offensive, and I am deeply ashamed of my actions. Throughout my career, I have treated members of the public and my colleagues with the utmost respect and courtesy. I would never make the types of jokes I sent over WhatsApp aloud to anyone, and I should not have treated WhatsApp any differently. I accept that a member of the public would not expect a police officer to behave in the way that I have."

The panel concluded the conduct amounted to "gross misconduct". They said: "Mr Martin sent to third parties' material that on any reading was obscene and deeply offensive, he forwarded images of sexual violence and sexual activity with animals, and images and 'jokes' which are discriminatory and offensive."

The panel said, "The officer accepts before us that he was reckless. We agree. Moreover, he actively engaged in online activity, which he described to Lancashire Police and Greater Manchester Police's Professional Standards Branch, including online adult sexual relationships and 'sexting'. In our view, he was addicted to online pornography and engaged in multiple concurrent chats that exposed him to risk. Despite that heightened risk, he sent on the material without entirely viewing the content.

"His admitted craving for approval and attention meant in our findings that he did not care what he was sending." Martin had told the panel he craved the "dopamine hit" of the following notification on his phone.

He sent one offensive video to three fellow police officers on WhatsApp and then warned them he had sent it without viewing it and told them they should remove it; the disciplinary hearing was told. The panel considered it an “aggravating feature” of his case that even after this incident, he continued to share offensive material.

The panel considered that he had sought counselling for his addiction to online pornography, had shown remorse and was of "previous good character". But they ruled out giving a written warning as this "would undermine public confidence and given his rank and experience, it would set a bad example to others and look as if such conduct were condoned when a key principle of the misconduct regime is to deter misconduct".

They said: "We have therefore concluded that Mr Martin’s conduct was so serious that the only reasonable, proportionate and appropriate action in his case would have been dismissal without notice."