Posed as his 'widowed wife' online to find a young girl to abuse.

A long-serving paramedic and Scout volunteer, John Pattison, has been sentenced for online child abuse offenses.

Pattison, who was on leave after being injured while working for the South Central Ambulance Service, allegedly used chatrooms to discuss abusing children. He contacted someone he believed was the father of a young girl, but was actually an undercover police officer.

Pattison arranged to meet the officer at a Sainsbury's branch, but was arrested before the meeting. His laptop and phone were seized, revealing indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty to nine counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

In court, the prosecution revealed that Pattison had pretended to be his "widowed wife" in online conversations, a tactic he had used previously.

While Pattison was not charged with offences related to the undercover officer, he admitted to possessing the images found on his devices. He claimed that he had received them from others and did not find them sexually alluring.

Judge Brian Forster QC sentenced Pattison to a three-year community order with a 60-day sex offenders programme. He also imposed a sexual harm prevention order and notification requirements for five years.

The Scout Association, where Pattison had volunteered, confirmed that he had been suspended and will never be allowed to volunteer with them again. They also stated that none of Pattison's victims in this case were Scouts and his offences have no connection to Scouting.