A FORMER PSNI constable has pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.
Christopher Little (40), formerly of Cove Avenue in Groomsport, Co Down, appeared in the dock at Belfast Crown Court on Monday where he was due to stand trial on a total of four charges he previously denied.
But before the jury selection process took place, defence barrister Sean Mullan told Judge Donna McColgan KC that he had an application to have Little re-arraigned on one count.
When the charge of misconduct in a public office was put to him by the court clerk, Little replied: “Guilty’'.
The charge stated that “between June 11, 2018 the June 30, 2018, wilfully neglected to perform your duty and wilfully misconducted yourself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the trust of the public in that you as a Police Constable noted the contact details of a 17 year old female and subsequently used those details to initiate and maintain contact with that person’'.
Following his guilty plea to the charge, prosecution barrister Kate McKay told the court that the three remaining charges of dangerous driving, unauthorised access to computer material and unlawful obtaining/disclosure of personal data belonging to three people are to be “left on the books”.
Judge McColgan ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared on the defendant by the Probation Board and sentencing is expected to be passed on June 26.
Little was jailed for a year in March 2023 for a series of sexual offences involving underage girls while on duty at police headquarters in Belfast.
He had pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted sexual communication with a child and three offences of attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a sex act.
He further admitted single charges of attempting to cause or incite a child to commit a sex act and possessing an indecent photo of a child.
The offences were committed between May 6, 2020 and February 3, 2022.
Belfast Crown Court heard the offences came to light in the summer of 2021 when the PSNI was contacted by the North West of England Regional Organised Crime Unit.
It said that undercover police officers acting as children aged 12-14 had engaged online with an individual based in Northern Ireland and the conversations were sexual in nature.
During one conversation with a girl called ‘Izzy’, Little told her that he was 27 and from Manchester and “always had young girlfriends’'.
“He tells her he really likes her. He asks her for a picture saying he would send her one,’’ said a prosecution lawyer.
“A live picture is sent and he tells her she looks ‘hot’. Little sends a photograph of a male from the neck down standing in toilets. He says he is in work. This photograph was taken in PSNI HQ.’’
On September 6, 2021, Little’s home was searched and a number of items were seized, including his mobile. He was arrested but refused to answer police questions.
A large number of non-indecent images of young girls were found on his mobile along with his web browsing history.
“This suggests this shows the deep seated sexual interest he has in young girls,’’ said the prosecutor.
“He was a serving police officer, on duty at the time of these sexual communications and involved taking pictures of himself while in police headquarters.’’