An intelligence officer at ‘Britain’s FBI’ with access to the dark web faces jail after admitting to viewing hundreds of indecent images of children on his work computer.
Adam Taylor, a former National Crime Agency (NCA) officer, pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office, three counts of making indecent photographs of children, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image. The 40-year-old appeared at Southwark Crown Court today, where he was warned of a likely prison sentence at his upcoming hearing in August.
Serious Offences
Judge Cole emphasized the gravity of the offences, stating: “As you well know, this is a very serious batch of offences and the likely sentence is immediate custody.” The judge ordered a pre-sentence report and adjourned sentencing to August 2 at the same court.
Misuse of Position
Taylor’s role as a ‘grade five intelligence officer’ in the NCA enabled him to access the dark web. Although his work did not require him to view such images, he admitted to committing misconduct by making indecent images of children on a work device between March 2019 and April 2022.
The court heard that Taylor made 221 category A images—the highest category of seriousness—and hundreds of category B and C images between May 2012 and April 2022. He has since been dismissed from the NCA for gross misconduct.
Agency’s Response
NCA Director General of Operations Rob Jones expressed the agency’s commitment to rooting out criminal activity within its ranks. The NCA is at the forefront of tackling online child abuse, and it is vital that we identify and root out anybody within the agency involved in this or any other criminal activity,” Jones said.
Whilst shocked and saddened that an NCA officer could be convicted of such crimes, we recognize that the scale of the online child sexual abuse threat means we must remain vigilant and work proactively, as we did in this case, to identify any potential risk in the agency,” Jones continued.
Commitment to Justice
Jones praised the NCA officers who diligently and covertly worked to bring Taylor to justice. “Individuals like Taylor have no place in law enforcement. It was other NCA officers, working diligently and covertly to protect the public, who were responsible for bringing him to justice,” he stated.
“Behind each of those images recovered from Taylor’s devices was a vulnerable child who had been abused. We remain determined to pursue offenders like him wherever in society they operate, and to protect the victims of online child sexual abuse.”
Awaiting Sentencing
Taylor, of Waltham Abbey, Essex, was bailed unconditionally ahead of his sentencing hearing. The case highlights the ongoing efforts by the NCA to address and combat internal and external threats related to online child sexual abuse.
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