'Child porn' police officer unfit to attend court

Insp Chris Wratten was due to appear before Crawley Magistrates last Friday to face 27 charges related to downloading indecent images of children.

His solicitor Adam James told the court he was unfit to attend the hearing.

Wratten, 46, of Bexhill, was suspended in July when officers searched his home and seized computer equipment.

The investigation began after Sussex Police were handed a list of names from the FBI who had carried out a swoop on an internet porn website.

Inspector Wratten, who was only a few months from retiring from the force and had been an inspector at Hastings, was granted unconditional bail in his absence and a further hearing will be held on November 1.