In 2018, the Offender Database reported that Lee Vincent Kelly, then 50, formerly of the Burnley area, Lancashire, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court.
Lee Vincent Kelly was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to multiple charges involving the production and possession of child abuse material. The court heard that the disgraced officer, a veteran of 19 years with Greater Manchester Police (GMP), had hoarded more than 1,000 indecent images of children, ranging from Category A to Category C.
The investigation revealed that Lee Vincent Kelly had abused his high-level position within the police force’s undercover online team, where he was responsible for the welfare of officers posing as children to catch predators. Despite his professional duty to detect those damaging children, Lee Vincent Kelly used his expert technical knowledge of the dark web to download and view horrific material in his spare time between 2009 and 2016.
During the proceedings, it was noted that Lee Vincent Kelly had been due to receive a commendation from the Chief Constable for “outstanding service” just before his home was raided in December 2016. Judge Andrew Woolman described his actions as a “dreadful abuse of trust,” emphasising that while Lee Vincent Kelly claimed he did not view the images for sexual gratification, he had clearly used his knowledge for a non-legitimate and illegal purpose.
Judge Woolman stated that while the offences crossed the custodial threshold, he felt it would be “unjust” to send Lee Vincent Kelly to immediate prison, given his nearly two decades of exemplary service. Lee Vincent Kelly was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and attend rehabilitation sessions. He was warned that he had brought “shame and disgrace” upon himself and the police force he once represented.
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