Description
A former Merseyside police officer who admitted possessing "highly disturbing" extreme pornography has received a suspended sentence.
Ryan Connolly, 41, of Huyton, was cleared last week of misconduct in a public office after selfies he took on duty at a teenager's death scene and images of vulnerable detainees at hospitals were found on his phone in 2020.
At Manchester Crown Court, he was sentenced for three counts of possessing extreme pornography, involving videos in his WhatsApp sent folder: two showing sexual acts with animals and one likely to cause serious injury.
Connolly pleaded guilty on the first day of trial in November 2021.
Recorder of Manchester Judge Nicholas Dean KC described one video, showing a man appearing to cause injury to himself, as "repugnant and worryingly so, in the sense it involves scenes of a masochistic or sadistic nature." He added: "It is highly disturbing and an image that even described, let alone seen, leaves an indelible impression."
Defense counsel Charlotte Rimmer noted character references for Connolly, now a self-employed health and safety auditor who has had another child since proceedings began.
The judge said a nearly five-year delay since the 2021 guilty plea made immediate imprisonment "inappropriate," though it would otherwise have been likely.
Connolly received a 12-month sentence suspended for two years, 80 hours of unpaid work, and 10 years on the sex offender notification register.
'Deplorable'
Last week, the jury was discharged after the judge ruled the prosecution's evidence could not prove misconduct.
Jurors heard Connolly, then a constable, took selfies—including one lying on grass—while guarding a cordon after 16-year-old Daniel Gee-Jamieson's 2018 killing in Belle Vale, Liverpool.
Over 50 photos, including images of vulnerable hospital detainees, force systems, and colleagues, were found in his WhatsApp sent folder upon his February 2020 arrest.
Merseyside Police dismissed Connolly in 2021, calling his behavior "deplorable." A misconduct hearing revealed other phone images were racist, homophobic, and mocked disabled people, with messages showing he socialized with a known criminal.