FORMER Somerset police officer James Gullis has been handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting a number of offences – including making indecent images of children.

The 28-year-old, who pleaded guilty to the offences in February, was handed a 10-month prison sentence suspended for two years today (April 16).

He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The former officer, who was based in east Somerset, was arrested in December 2023 after information was received from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and suspended from duty.

Former Somerset police officer James Gullis was later charged with – and pleaded guilty to – the following offences:

• Making indecent images of children – categories A, B and C
• Possession of prohibited images of children
• Possession of extreme pornography

An investigation by Avon & Somerset Police’s Professional Standards Department ran alongside criminal proceedings and at a misconduct hearing on March 18, he was barred from policing.

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The hearing, chaired by former Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden, also concluded Gullis would have been dismissed had he not already resigned after gross misconduct was found proven.

It found Gullis had breached the honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct standards under the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers.

Assistant Chief Constable, Joanne Hall, said: “He committed horrendous crimes and we moved quickly to arrest him and suspend him from duty as soon as we became aware of his offending.

“The misconduct process has also ensured he will never be able to work in any law enforcement role ever again.

“We are committed to taking robust action where the standards we require of officers and staff are not met, however the vast majority of our officers and staff are dedicated to the communities they serve and to keeping the public safe and will be as appalled as anyone else to learn about his offending.”