A former Wiltshire Police inspector has pleaded guilty to having a stash of vile bestiality images.
Appearing at Gloucester Crown Court, Ian Stevenson changed his plea from not guilty, admitting the charge of being in possession of extreme images, namely sexual relations with animals.
According to the BBC, the former senior officer had 144 illegal images between 2012 and 2020.
Judge Picton told the 57-year-old, of The Marsh, Wanborough, he faces a community sentence – and is likely to avoid immediate custody.
Stevenson won the Police Bravery Awards in 2018, after saving a suicidal woman from the railway line in Salisbury just moments before the train arrive.
Former Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, at the time, described him as being a “shining example of bravery and dedication to public safety”.
But the court heard how Stevenson, after his retirement from the force, assaulted two police officers when he was arrested for an unrelated matter. He was ordered to pay the them £250 compensation.
The defendant will be sentenced in April. A pre-sentence report was ordered.
