A former-Metropolitan Police officer convicted of possessing child abuse images and engaging in sexual communication with a child will not be named as this would breach his human rights, a misconduct hearing decided. 

The officer’s home was searched in April 2023 after National Crime Agency intelligence revealed he was involved in the distribution of indecent images and videos. 

Evidence was later uncovered that he also had sexualised communications with a minor. 

In July this year, he was convicted of possessing 215 indecent images of children, distributing indecent photographs of children and engaging in sexual communication with them. 

But at a Met Police misconduct hearing on August 8 it was decided that the former officer should not be named as this would infringe on his human rights. 

A forensic psychiatrist gave evidence that the former-officer's mental health was “extremely fragile” and had formulated a plan to commit suicide should his name be made public. 

It was therefore submitted that naming him would breach his right to life under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights. 

The hearing's decision maker, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said: “I am reluctantly compelled to the conclusion that there is evidence of a ‘real and immediate’ threat to former police-officer X’s life in the material sense and that I must therefore grant anonymity.” 

The misconduct hearing came to the conclusion that the anonymous officer would have been dismissed if he were still a serving officer.