Hi °C | Lo °C A police officer accused of committing sex offences against young boys he met after posing as a teenage girl on the internet appeared in court yesterday.
County Armagh man William Wright, who was also a Scout leader, is alleged to have set up an MSN account using the ficticious name Jenny Curran.
He then contacted young boys pretending to be a 13-year-old girl and persuaded them send him indecent photos of themselves, it is claimed.
Wright, a former probation worker who had served with Lincolnshire Police for 18 months, was arrested in October last year following a complaint of sexual abuse connected with his role as a scout leader in Lincoln.
Wright is originally from the village of Waringstown.
He went to England to study at the University of Lincoln and became involved in the scouting movement as a leader of a troop in Lincoln.
After finishing his university course Wright, whose father served with the RUC for 23 years, worked with the probation service before successfully applying to join Lincolnshire Police.
After his arrest, officers went on to examine four computers found at his home in Bucknall, Lincs, resulting in further investigations.
Wright resigned his position with Lincolnshire Police in December and returned to his home town in Northern Ireland.
Wright (23), of Townhill Lane, Bucknall, Lincs, faces charges of sexual assault together with making and possessing indecent photographs of children.
The charges involve eight boys aged between nine and 17.
No pleas were taken at the hearing yesterday at Lincoln Crown Court and an application for bail was refused by Judge Michael Heath.
Wright was remanded in custody to appear back in court on 16 July.
