Cop’s wife on child abuse images charges

A SERVING police officer’s wife has been charged with distributing indecent images of children.

ut the 42-year-old Co Antrim woman cannot be named after a judge ruled there was a “real and imminent” risk to her life by suicide if she is identified in the media.

She faces three charges alleged to have been committed on dates between March and June 2020 including distributing or showing an indecent image of a child.

She also allegedly intentionally encouraged or assisted a named male to distribute or show an indecent image of a child and improperly used a communication network to send an obscene message.

The accused was granted anonymity last week at Antrim Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ballymena.

The case was first before the court in early December when defence solicitor Feargal MacElhatton submitted the defendant’s mental state was such that if she was named in the media, there was a risk that she would take her own life.

He applied for an anonymity order under article two of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The media had sought to argue there was not such a sufficient risk to ban publication of the defendant’s name but in court on Tuesday, District Judge Nigel Broderick said the “strongest evidence” supporting the defence application came from the report of consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Bunn.

Dr Bunn said he believed there was a real risk of the defendant taking her life.

Although he granted the order, District Judge Broderick said that the issue “will
have to be kept under review” and adjourned the case to March 1.