BRITAIN: The police officer who comforted the parents of murdered schoolgirl Jessica Chapman has been charged with offences relating to the possession of child pornography, Cambridgeshire police said last night.
Det Constable Brian Stevens (41) will appear before magistrates in Bury St Edmunds this morning, with another officer who worked on the Soham murder inquiry. Police Constable Antony Goodridge (34) is also charged with offences relating to the possession of indecent images of children.
Both officers have been suspended from duty and were held in custody overnight.
As a family liaison officer, Det Constable Stevens had been working with the Chapman family since Jessica and her friend, Holly Wells, both 10, vanished after being seen walking near their home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4th.
Two weeks ago he played a central part in a memorial service for the two dead girls at Ely Cathedral. He read a poem, called Lord of Comfort, which had been written for Jessica by a friend of the Chapman family. He had also spoken to journalists about the way the family had been coping with the murders during the past five weeks.
On Tuesday, he was among a number of police officers who attended a court hearing in Peterborough for Mr Ian Huntley, the former school caretaker who is charged with the girls' murders.
Mr Stevens and Mr Goodridge were arrested early on Thursday by detectives from West Midlands Police. The investigation is part of a worldwide inquiry led by the FBI.
The British National Crime Squad has been co-ordinating the operation in the UK. - (PA)