GEORGE INCE STALHAM POLICE OFFICER JAILED FOR SHARING CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN NORWICH

In a disturbing case that has shocked the Norfolk community, George Ince, a police officer from Stalham, has been sentenced to prison for his involvement in sharing and possessing highly disturbing indecent images of children. The offences came to light after authorities uncovered a series of illicit activities carried out by Ince, who was stationed in Great Yarmouth at the time.

Ince, aged 26, was found to have engaged in explicit and graphic discussions about sexual acts involving underage girls through the Kik messenger app. Court proceedings revealed that he not only discussed the possibility of raping a 14-year-old girl but also talked about tying up a 12-year-old, and even attempted to blackmail minors into sending nude photographs of themselves. These conversations were described as 'full and graphic' by the court, highlighting the severity of his actions.

Further evidence showed that Ince had shared indecent images, including one he had altered by superimposing the face of a 17-year-old girl he knew from Facebook onto another topless female image. The police investigation was initiated after fellow officers received intelligence that illegal images had been uploaded from a Kik account linked to Ince. This led to a search of his residence in Stalham, Norfolk, in July of the previous year.

During the search, authorities discovered a disturbing collection of digital material, including 71 indecent images and 22 videos depicting girls aged between six and 17. Prosecutor Danielle O’Donovan emphasized the gravity of the case, stating, “This is a man who, at the time, was a serving police officer with exceptional levels of power over the rest of the population.”

Ince faced multiple charges, including three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, three counts of distributing such images, and possession of an extreme pornographic image. He admitted to these charges but denied an additional count related to attempting to incite or cause the sexual exploitation of a child; this particular charge was subsequently dropped by prosecutors.

All of the offences took place between April 2019 and July 2020. The court heard that Ince was swiftly dismissed from Norfolk Constabulary following the discovery of his crimes. The misconduct hearing, which lasted less than ten minutes, resulted in his immediate removal from the police force. Judge Anthony Bate sentenced Ince to 16 months in prison, describing the images he shared as ‘abhorrent’ and of ‘the gravest kind.’

In a related incident in August 2021, Ince was also dismissed from the police force without notice after admitting to possessing and sharing indecent images of children. This dismissal followed an accelerated misconduct hearing held at Norfolk Police’s Wymondham headquarters. The hearing confirmed Ince’s guilty plea to three counts of making indecent images, three counts of distributing such images, and possession of an extreme pornographic image. He did not attend the hearing but had previously pleaded guilty at Norwich Magistrates Court.

Norfolk’s acting chief constable, Paul Sanford, condemned Ince’s actions, stating, “PC Ince has admitted a series of charges relating to indecent image offences. Those images were the digital record of children being abused in the most awful of circumstances.”

Ince, who had been suspended from duty since July 2020, is scheduled to be sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on August 31. Despite his guilty pleas, he had initially denied a further charge of attempting to cause or incite the sexual exploitation of a child when he appeared before magistrates in early August, but this charge was dropped as part of the proceedings.