By Sammie Jones-
A Bingley Police Community Support Officer who engaged in sexualised chat with an undercover police officer he believed was 13, has been jailed for ten months.
David Mallard, 57, was sacked by West Yorkshire Police following the shameful news.
Mallard, of The Crescent, Bingley, pleaded guilty at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court to using an online platform on July 23 , 2019, to attempt to cause or incite a girl under 16, namely an undercover operative using the name Tinkerbella, to engage in sexualised chat.
He also admitted attempting to communicate with Tinkerbella for sexualised chat in July, 2019. Malalrd actually believed he was communicating with a 13 year old girl.
Jailing Mallard this morning, Judge Richard Mansell QC, labelled his actions “classic grooming behaviour” pretending he was many years younger and using a false profile picture.
Mallard was a full-time supply teacher between 1992 and 2017 and had worked for two years, until his arrest as a PCSO.
West Yorkshire police had been conducting a covert investigation into online child sexual exploitation using undercover officers posing as children,Prosecutor Camille Morland told the Leeds Crown Court today.
Mallard came into contact with “Bella” on a chat forum and she told him she was 13 and lived in Wales. The court heard Mallard had said he was 17, and they began chatting and exchanging voice mails with the girl he thought was 13 years of age.
Mallard said she was sexy and sent a romantic message in Spanish. He asked to see her but she said her camera was broken.
Miss Morland said the messages from Mallard became increasingly sexualized.
When they spoke on the phone, he now claimed he was 36 and from Bristol. He said he would pick her up in his convertible car and that she should wear a short skirt.
Awesome
The community officer went as far as telling her she was awesome, and he could fall in love with her.
Mallard was arrested at his home on August 10, 2019 made no comment to the police in interviews that day and on November 11.
Offences
Miss Morland stressed that no real child was involved in the offences.
Mitigating, Holly Clegg, Mallard’s barrister, described the officer in her submissions as being of good character. said he was of previous good character. Ms Clegg said he was sad and lonely at the time because his marriage was “difficult.”
He began using chat rooms to talk to adult women and his offences with “Bella” were isolated and out of character, she said. Mallard was on medication for depression and anxiety and was ashamed and embarrassed, she added.
He had lost his job as a PCSO and his marriage had broken down even further.Since his arrest, he had taken positive steps, going on voluntary courses, and he was keen to continue his journey of rehabilitation in the community.
But Judge Mansell said: “I would be failing in my public duty if you did not go straight to prison to punish you and to deter others.”