Ex-policeman jailed over images

A former police officer has been jailed for three years at Belfast Crown Court after pleading guilty to downloading images of child abuse.

Aaron Payne, 32, who quit the PSNI at the time of his arrest last year, admitted 25 charges of downloading the images between February and April 2008.

The images were seized during a search of Payne's former home at Ballyhenry Crescent in Newtownabbey.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The court was told that officers raided Payne's former home last July and seized his computer for examination.

A prosecuting lawyer said when Payne was arrested later that day at Armagh PSNI station, he told officers that if he had known they were coming "he would have shot himself".

Payne claimed he would view the images and then delete them and although he was "fully aware" of the consequences, "he could not stop".

Passing sentence, Judge Tom Burgess said the images of children showed "abhorrent, grossly intensive and disgusting acts of sexual depravity".

"They do not live in Northern Ireland, but they have the same right to protection and a normal happy upbringing but instead they have been subjected to acts which have destroyed their childhood," he added.