At a glance
- Met Police officer Duncan Bouette was arrested and swiftly dismissed after sharing messages about the sexual abuse of children
- He pleaded guilty to two charges under the Obscene Publications Act and received an 18-month suspended sentence plus 200 hours of community service
- Bouette is banned from unsupervised contact with children, faces digital restrictions for three years, and is permanently barred from policing
A Metropolitan Police officer has been fired and sentenced for sharing messages about sexually abusing children just a month after being arrested.
Duncan Bouette, formerly at the North East Command Unit, was dismissed from the force earlier this week and arrested by the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Unit on Tuesday, 7 October.
He was charged the following day with two counts under the Obscene Publications Act.
PC Bouette appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 9 October, where he pleaded guilty to both charges.
On Thursday, 6 November, he was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence at the same court, alongside 200 hours of community work.
He is also on a strict three-year criminal behaviour order which prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with children and imposes restrictions on his use of digital devices.
Superintendent Lynne Forster, who is responsible for policing in North-East London, said: “PC Bouette’s behaviour was completely unacceptable and specialist officers moved swiftly following information received.
“PC Bouette’s guilty plea meant an accelerated misconduct hearing was organised, and he was dismissed on Tuesday, 4 November. From his arrest to dismissal and sentencing has taken less than a month, showing our determination to tackle offending by our officers.
She said: “PC Bouette will also be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing, meaning that he will not be allowed to serve as a police officer again”.
The court was told that Bouette sent a string of messages relating to the sexual abuse of children in November last year.
Evidence also showed that Bouette sent messages of an extreme, violent, and sexual nature using a secure messaging application at the start of October.
The information was received by the Met on Tuesday, 7 October, and led to his swift arrest.
