In February 2019, the Offender Database reported that Lee Bartram, then 44, of Bustleholme Lane, West Bromwich, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court for what was described as a “revolting” betrayal of public trust. Bartram, a former high-ranking Inspector with West Midlands Police, admitted to making and distributing hundreds of indecent images of children while serving as a senior officer.
The court heard that between 2011 and 2018, Bartram used the social media platform Tumblr to access and repost illicit material, which he stored in a folder he chillingly titled “Lads.” His crimes also included misconduct in public office, stemming from an incident in April 2017 where he used his authority while on duty in Birmingham city centre to surreptitiously film a five-second clip of a young boy’s buttocks and legs. When police raided his home, they found not only the images but also the children’s underwear he had purchased for his own sexual gratification. Following his arrest, Bartram reportedly stated he was “glad” to have been caught, admitting that had he remained undetected, he “may have tried to touch a child.”
West Midlands Police sacked Bartram for gross misconduct in September 2018, with Chief Constable Dave Thompson describing his actions as causing “horror and disgust.” Despite the severity of the betrayal of trust and his admission of potential future physical abuse, Bartram was handed a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. The Chief Constable publicly criticised the sentence as “too lenient,” and an appeal was discussed with the Crown Prosecution Service. However, the Attorney General’s Office ultimately decided not to refer it for review.
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As a result of his conviction, Lee Bartram is required to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. He is also subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which includes strict monitoring of his internet-enabled devices and a three-month curfew between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am.
Bartram is managed under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in the West Bromwich and Birmingham areas. This ensures that the National Probation Service and local police maintain intensive surveillance of his behaviour, housing, and digital activity to prevent him from escalating toward the physical contact he admitted contemplating.
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