A former police officer who pleaded guilty to a child sex offence following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) was sentenced at Bristol Magistrates’ Court.
Barry Geering, 44, of Ealing, London, who was a police constable with Wiltshire Police at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty last month to attempted sexual communication with a child under 16.
Yesterday he was sentenced to 28 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months, 30 days' rehabilitation and 80 hours of unpaid work.
He will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for seven years and was handed a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Geering was arrested in April 2024 as part of a proactive operation by a team at SWROCU, who work alongside a national network of officers tackling offences online, including child sexual abuse and exploitation.
He was immediately suspended from duty and resigned from the force two months later.
Wiltshire Police's Professional Standards Department have carried out a separate investigation into potential breaches of the standards of professional behaviour which has now concluded, with the findings informing an Accelerated Misconduct Hearing in July.
Temporary Detective Inspector Alex Spargo from the Online Investigations Team at SWROCU said: “Barry Geering thought he was communicating with a child when he used Snapchat to engage in sexual communications.
"The work of our team means he was promptly identified and arrested – and, critically, he no longer works as a police officer.”
Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Catherine Roper said: “I, like my colleagues, am appalled by the actions of this former officer.
"I also recognise that this may impact upon trust and confidence our communities have in Wiltshire Police. The abhorrent crime, for which he has been sentenced, is against everything that we in policing represent.
"Our core priority is to protect the most vulnerable in society, and to keep everyone safe. This is the priority of Wiltshire Police.”
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