Former Wiltshire police officer had hundreds of child abuse images

Former Wiltshire cop Robert Gabbott was handed a suspended sentence at Swindon Crown Court on Friday, January 6.

Police found 856 indecent images of children on his mobile phone - 200 of which were in the most severe category.

Seven images were distributed to another paedophile - with whom he discussed horrific fantasies.  

Ellen McAnaw, prosecuting, said Gabbott was arrested at his home in Elizabeth Close, Melksham, after police received intelligence about messages he had sent another male.

Several digital devices were seized for forensic examination. A Samsung S20 contained hundreds of accessible and inaccessible child abuse photographs.

Conversations the 64-year-old had with others in an online chatroom were also recovered - including one with a paedophile in Scotland.

The pair exchanged photographs of children they claimed were their relatives.

He initially told officers that he had unintendedly come across the images and recorded them to report his findings to the police. He denied a sexual interest in children.

At a previous hearing at Swindon Magistrates' Court in December, Gabbott pleaded guilty to two charges of distributing seven indecent images of a child in categories A and B and three charges of making (collecting) indecent images of a child - including 200 in category A, 199 in category B and 457 in category C.

Defence barrister Sam Jones said his client was a man "with a long and distinguished history of public service", severing in both the military and the police over a 30-year period.

He said that Gabbott was remorseful and accepts the shame he has brought on himself and those that he cares about.

Mr Jones said the relative spoken about was not real and "all fantasy".

Judge Jason Taylor KC interjected, stating: "Clearly a sexual fantasy".

He said Gabbott had stored the images "for a good purpose but that became an unlawful purpose" when he took the "foolish decision" to share the images he had access to.

"He is ashamed for having accessed this material and he is ashamed for sharing it in the way he did", he added. "He has already recognised that he has a problem, and a problem that he knows needs to be addressed."

Mr Jones said Gabbott is working with a psychotherapist and is motivated to change.
He finished addressing the court by asking for a suspended sentence, stating: "He has faced punishment already to an extent, his reputation in tatters in many people's eyes.

There has already been press coverage of this case which has had an effect."

Judge Taylor told Gabbott that he "clearly derived sexual pleasure" from the images.

"Unfortunately the children in the images you sent weren't fantasy figures, they were real", he said.

"I accept that you are remorseful, and encouragingly, you have taken steps to address your offending behaviour. It's clear you still have some distance to travel in that regard.

"It is disappointing that you show little victim empathy [in the pre-sentence report]."

Gabbott was handed a 20-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He must complete 175 hours of unpaid work and 60 rehabilitation activity days - including a sex offender programme.

He will be placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years and a sexual harm prevention order was imposed to run alongside. He must also pay costs of £425 costs.

The offences were dated between September 18, 2021 and January 14, 2022.