Gwent Police officer charged with making indecent images of children and computer misuse offences

A Gwent Police officer has been charged with computer misuse offences and making indecent of images of children following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed investigation.

30-year-old PC Patrick Higgins is due before Cardiff Crown Court on Monday 18 August to face three counts of unauthorised access to a program or data, without a valid policing purpose and three charges of making indecent photos and videos of children.

The computer misuse charges relate to alleged offending between June 2023 and August 2024.

The investigation has been carried out by Gwent Police’s Counter Corruption Unit under the direction of the IOPC’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

When the investigation concluded, a file of evidence was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charges against the officer.