Jail for PCSO who asked teenage girl to send him naked pictures

Liam Austerfield, 28, had made more than 300 exchanges with the 14-year-old girl via text messages and Facebook when police seized his mobile phone, laptop and computer.

After sending an indecent photograph to the girl, Austerfield texted her saying “If you want to see more you have to show more” and “Do you want to see some more of this?”

Austerfield was a serving member of the north-west neighbourhood policing team in Wakefield at the time he committed the offences.

He was suspended from duty while an investigation was carried out, prompted by concerns raised by the girl’s parents, and he resigned from West Yorkshire Police in April.

Sheffield Crown Court heard that communication between Austerfield, from Wakefield, and the schoolgirl “started on innocent terms, but after a short period of time it turned to topics of a sexual nature”.

Michael Rawlinson, prosecuting, said: “He requested naked images of her but the girl didn’t send naked images.

“She sent pictures of herself in her pyjamas and her bra and knickers instead.

“He knew full well how old this complainant was.”

Jailing Austerfield yesterday, Judge Roger Keen QC said: “Instead of behaving properly, you abused the trust the community placed in you in order to gain sexual satisfaction.

“You have brought a great deal of distress to your own family but, more importantly, your actions have had a profound effect on your victim and her family.”

The judge went on: “Your position is further aggravated because of your work at the time.

“You corrupted this girl and as a consequence her life has been greatly affected.

“Your position in the community takes this well outside the appropriate guidelines.”

After police officers seized Austerfield’s mobile phone and laptop following his arrest in March they discovered that he had searched the internet for “pre-teen taboo”.

Mr Rawlinson told the crown court that Austerfield claimed to be “heavily intoxicated when the worst of the incidents took place and could recall very little about them”.

Describing the victim impact statements written by the girl’s parents, Mr Rawlinson told the court: “Her mum feels that the incident has destroyed her family due to the stress of it.

“She has separated from the girl’s father following so many arguments and she blames herself for what happened.

“She feels it has set her daughter back a very great deal.”

In mitigation, Alison Dorrell told the court: “This is a serious breach of trust. He was well aware from the outset of her age.”

“He has lost a career he enjoyed and he now has no prospect of ever becoming a police officer.

“He has thrown away all the progress he, at 28, had made in his life”

Austerfield was jailed for 15 months.

At an earlier court hearing, Austerfield had admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing 13 indecent images 
of a child and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.