Charges have been dropped against two Greater Manchester Police officers over the sending of a suspected indecent image of a child.
PC James Williams, 40, and PC Cameron Barker, 27, were due to go on trial at Leeds Magistrates' Court earlier this week. PC Williams, of Tyldesley, Wigan, was charged with distributing a Category C image of a child in March 2019.
PC Barker, of Droylsden, Tameside, was charged with possessing a Category C image. Both pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
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At their plea hearing in July, the court heard the officers did not believe the image was indecent and said it was a meme sent by PC Williams to his colleague’s mobile phone as a joke. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now confirmed that the case has been discontinued.
A CPS spokeswoman said: "The Crown Prosecution Service has a duty to keep all cases under constant review. Upon further consideration of the evidence in this case, we concluded our legal test was not met and the case was stopped."
The case was discontinued in September. The officers were suspended by GMP pending the outcoming of the criminal proceedings and any subsequent misconduct hearing.
A GMP spokeswoman said an investigation by its Professional Standards Branch remains ongoing.
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