Paedophile army officer at Denison Barracks in Hermitage, George Russell, is jailed

A PAEDOPHILE army officer has been kicked out of the armed forces and jailed for distributing indecent images of children.

George Russell was serving as a captain at Denison Barracks in Hermitage while engaging in perverted conversations in chatrooms.

The 35-year-old was “deeply involved” with others who shared his sick fantasies but remained in denial after his arrest, the hearing at Bulford Military Courts Centre in Wiltshire was told.

Russell, who was arrested at the barracks, had denied possessing and distributing more than 1,000 indecent images of children, many of them in Category A – the worst kind, that can depict rape, torture or bestiality.

But he was convicted and, at a sentencing hearing, prosecutor Rupert Gregory said: “You found this defendant was engaged in over 7,000 communications, chat messages, with other people who had a keen interests in child porn.

“He had active involvement in a network or process that facilitated or commissioned the creation or sharing of indecent images of children.

“This was a man who was deeply involved in contacting and going on groups that shared these images and offering his stash of images to others whilst at the same time seeking images for his collection.”

Mr Gregory remarked on Russell’s lack of remorse and added: “[He] maintains that he was hacked and has no idea how these items are on his devices or how somebody could communicate from his devices in such a way.”

Kelly Enever, for Russell, said: “I have to concede that this was a time when he was a serving captain in the British Army.”

But she said her client suffered from a serious depressive illness and pleaded for a suspended sentence to be imposed.

Judge Advocate Alan Large told Russell: “You were completely cognisant of the procedures and processes for joining and participating in the groups which shared indecent material.

“You were not prepared to send anyone [the images] without receiving something in exchange.

“You knew what you were doing was illegal.”

He added: “Your motivation was undoubtedly a sexual interest in children... as is clearly illustrated by the many thousands of messages you sent and received during the period of your offending.

“Sexual offending undermines the bond of trust which must exist between those who serve together, affects morale and ultimately operational effectiveness.

“Officers enjoy enhanced status, respect and pay and are expected to in return adopt the values and standards of the British Army – which you failed to do.

“This case has clearly had an affect on the reputation of His Majesty’s armed forces.

“We find that the aggravating factors in this case outweigh the mitigating factors available to you.”

Russell was jailed for four years.

He was formally dismissed from service, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.