Police officer, 38, who used his nine-year-old daughter's phone to force underage girls to send naked photos is jailed
PC Mark Ling, 38, contacted a dozen girls under the age of 16 after he downloaded Snapchat and TikTok on his child's device in August last year.
He then used a fake profile to manipulate them into sending him naked pictures and engaging in sexual activity, the Southend Echo has reported.
Ling, who has since been dismissed from Essex Police, encouraged his victims to take part in online 'loyalty' tests to check their 'faithfulness' in relationships.
He was today jailed for four and a half years at Ipswich Crown Court after pleading guilty to a series of child sexual offences.
In January, he admitted eight counts of sexual communications with a child and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
One of Ling's victims said: 'The police are supposed to be trusted professionals with good intentions to help and support people – the Essex badge says protect and serve.
'I feel that he has shown the complete opposite to this, and it makes me doubt other police officers.'
Ling appeared at his sentencing hearing via video link from HMP Norwich. He did not face the camera and stared into his lap as he was jailed.
Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington from Essex Police said: 'I want to pay tribute to the bravery demonstrated by those affected by Mark Ling's actions.
'I want to thank those we identified and spoke to in trusting us with this information and to deal with this dreadful case.
'We police without fear or favour and where a crime is reported we investigate, regardless of who it involves.
'Tackling violence against women and girls is an absolute priority for Essex Police and we take all allegations seriously.
'Specialist detectives and staff have carried out a thorough investigation and ensure those affected are supported.
'Thanks to their work Ling has had no option but to admit to his crimes. Thanks to their professionalism and dedication he is now behind bars'.
Ling was dismissed from Essex Police following an accelerated misconduct hearing on December 17 last year.
A reporting restriction was put in place preventing the publication of the details of the hearing until the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.
The hearing heard allegations that between March 2021 and February 2023 Ling used false personas to engage in explicit conversations online.
The allegations included he used another person's identity without their consent and he was dismissed immediately after they were found to be true.
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