In February 2019, the Offender Database reported that Adam Leighton-Price, then 49, of Priory Road, Portbury, North Somerset, was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court for a series of “appalling” sexual offences. Leighton-Price, who had served as an officer with Avon and Somerset Police since 1994, was dismissed in disgrace after using a dating site to groom a mother into abusing her own children.
The court heard that between November 14 and 17, 2017, Leighton-Price used a pseudonym on a dating platform to meet a woman with two children. He quickly steered their conversations toward sexual topics and began focusing on her children. Using Kik Messenger, the paedophile officer encouraged the woman to have her infant children touch her intimately while he watched or received graphic descriptions. He even invented a fictitious three-year-old daughter, claiming he had “played” with her to normalise the abuse. The woman, becoming increasingly alarmed by his sexually graphic demands, contacted the authorities, leading to his arrest.
Upon his arrest, police seized Leighton-Price’s laptop and discovered three counts of possessing extreme pornography depicting bestiality. The prosecution described the images as “utterly degrading.” In his defence, it was argued that Leighton-Price was suffering from leukaemia and PTSD, and that his judgment was impaired by “strong medication.” However, Judge Ian Lawrie QC dismissed these excuses, questioning the “dark corner of his soul” that led a serving police officer to seek out such depraved material and target an infant.
Adam Leighton-Price was sentenced to three years and eight months’ imprisonment. Following his guilty pleas, he was formally dismissed from Avon and Somerset Police without notice during a special misconduct hearing. The Police Federation stated that his actions were “totally unacceptable” and a betrayal of the professionalism expected of the force.
As a result of his convictions for facilitating a child sex offence and possessing extreme pornography, Leighton-Price has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He is managed under the highest level of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Somerset. He is also subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which includes strict, legally enforceable bans on his use of social media and any contact with minors. His name has been added to the DBS Barred List, ensuring he can never hold a position of trust again.
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