Former Detective Constable Convicted of attempted sexual communication with a child online.

East Sussex Man Convicted of Attempted Sexual Communication with a Child

Damien Gibbons, formerly known as Damien Cotgreave, 48, of High Street, Hailsham, has been found guilty of attempted online sexual communication with a child.

The conviction follows a three-day trial at Guildford Crown Court, which concluded on Monday 18 December.

Gibbons, who was a Sussex Police officer at the time of his arrest in February 2020, was charged with the offence in April 2021.

He was sentenced to a one-year suspended prison sentence and a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which severely restricts his access to children and computers.

The prosecution, authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service, followed an investigation by the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) of Sussex Police.

The investigation began when a member of the public reported their concerns in February 2020.

POLIT crime investigator Michelle Shepherd said: "Cotgreave thought he was talking to a 13-year old girl, and engaged in very explicit sexual conversation, but he was in fact talking to an adult member of the public who reported their concerns to the police, and we immediately took action to arrest him and ensure no actual child could come to harm."

"We will always take action on such reports and anyone who has suspicions about this type of activity should contact the police immediately."

At the time of his arrest, Cotgreave was a Detective Constable in Sussex Police but was suspended. He later resigned from the force.

In a separate public misconduct hearing in January 2021, Cotgreave was found to have committed multiple breaches of professional standards. He has been placed on the College of Policing Barred and Advisory list, preventing his re-entry into law enforcement.

The internal disciplinary investigation that led to the misconduct hearing was a result of information that came to light during the criminal investigation by POLIT.