Cries of relief at Sheffield Crown Court as copper chopper crew are CLEARED of making sex and nudity films

Following just under four hours of deliberation, jurors acquitted serving police officers Lee Walls and Matthew Lucas and ex-police pilots Malcolm Reeves and Matthew Loosemore of a number of counts of misconduct in public office.

Loved ones of the defendants sitting in the public gallery hugged each other and cried out in relief as the verdicts were read out.

After the men were cleared of all charges, Judge Peter Kelson QC told Mr Walls, Mr Lucas, Mr Reeves and Mr Loosemore: "The defendants are dismissed. You can all go home."

Several of the defendants appeared to be in tears as they walked free from the court room.

Prior to the beginning of the trial, former police officer Adrian Pogmore admitted to being involved with the filming of all four videos the trial was concerned with which were taken between 2007 and 2012 and featured three sets of naked sunbathers and a pair of swingers having sex in the back garden of their South Yorkshire property.

Pogmore, 51, of Guilthwaite Crescent, Whiston was the only crew member to be in the £4million force helicopter for all four videos.

Throughout the three week-long trial, the Crown claimed that all of the men were 'in it together'.

But each of the defendants claimed they did not know Pogmore was using the high-tech equipment in the helicopter to spy on naked sunbathers and people having sex, or that he was making recordings.

Jurors were shown the videos taken by Pogmore, which were discovered in his desk drawer at Maltby police station.

In one of the videos taken on July 28, 2008, a couple are clearly seen having sex in a variety of different positions on their patio.

Towards the beginning of the 11-minute video the woman can even be seen waving to the helicopter.

The couple, who were friends of Pogmore and were involved in the South Yorkshire swinging scene with him, said in police statements they were aware they were being observed but did not know, or consent, to being filmed.

The court heard that Pogmore even made a copy of the video for the couple to keep.

The other videos showed a naked woman sunbathing in her Rotherham backgarden, along with her three bikini-clad daughters.

Pogmore also took footage of two couples sunbathing naked on private property in Rotherham and Doncaster in two separate incidents, four years apart.

Pogmore is due to be sentenced on Tuesday , August 4 for four counts of misconduct in public office.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Adrian Pogmore was dismissed from South Yorkshire Police in 2015, following an internal misconduct investigation.

“Pogmore, who pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office on July 18, 2017, will return to Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday, August 8.

“Notwithstanding today’s verdicts concerning the four defendants who were acquitted, we will now continue with misconduct proceedings internally against the other South Yorkshire Police officers.

"We cannot comment further at this stage, so as not to prejudice any future misconduct hearings.”

Mr Walls, of Southlands Way, Aston and Mr Loosemore of Briar Close, Auckley, Doncaster were cleared of one count of misconduct in public office while Mr Reeves of Farfield Avenue,

Knaresborough and Mr Lucas, of Coppice Rise, Chapeltown were cleared of two and three counts of the offence, respectively.