Man jailed for assault on girl

A special constable has been jailed for four years for indecently assaulting a schoolgirl and making indecent photographs of children.

Paul Lingham's offences were uncovered when his wife found a video of him sexually abusing a young girl.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Julie Lingham - also a special constable - was planning to divorce her husband and found the video while searching through his possessions.

Lingham, from Wouldham, near Rochester, worked as a support worker for officers at Maidstone Prison.

Video found in briefcase

The court heard Mrs Lingham broke into her 36-year-old husband's briefcase at their home in Oldfield Drive, looking for financial information ahead of her plans to divorce him.

Prosecuting solicitor John Price said she found the tape and watched it, finding on it pornography recorded from the television, followed by footage of Lingham having sex with an unknown woman.

But after about 35 minutes the picture changed to her husband assaulting a young girl.

Mrs Lingham immediately reported him to Kent Police and handed the video to officers, the court heard.

Lingham was arrested on 22 January and police found his computer had been used to view indecent images of children on the internet.

He admitted indecent assault and two charges of making indecent images of children.

Lingham was jailed for four years on Friday and will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.