Chief constable returns child-abuse disks

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 17 Jun 2009 at 11:01

A police chief has complied with a court order to return hard disks containing images of child abuse to an expert witness who played a large role in Operation Ore.

Jim Bates was used as an expert witness during several of the Operation Ore cases, but ceased the role in 2006. His forensic investigations revealed gaping holes in the evidence used by police to prosecute alleged paedophiles, as exposed by PC Pro in 2007.

In 2008 Bates was convicted of perjury for misrepresenting his qualifications.

Police raided Bates' home last year, seizing a large collection of hard disks and flash drives, some of which contained images of child abuse. Bates' claimed that these were collected in the course of his work.

The High Court eventually ruled that the seizure had been illegal, and ordered the disks to be returned. However, Colin Port, Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset police, refused to hand over the material.

Sources close to Port told The Times last month that the chief constable believed returning the disks would be "tantamount to a neglect of duty".

There was an application from Bates' legal team to press for a contempt of court charge against the chief constable, but the High Court ruled this week that Port is off the hook now the files have finally been returned.

Mr Port has since said that the case highlights the need for firm rules on who can view these images in the course of a police investigation, and how long such evidence can be kept.