Former Ealing station reception officer convicted

A former special constable based at Heathrow was sentenced today to 4 and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to a string of sexual offences involving underage girls.

During a trial at Southwark Crown Court, Kevin McLean aged 29 from Acton, admitted indecently assaulting three girls below the age of 16, making and possessing hundreds of indecent images of children and misusing the MPS's criminal intelligence database.

McLean, who also worked at Ealing Police Station as a Station Reception Officer, was convicted following a year-long investigation by the MPS anti-corruption command.

He fell under suspicion in 2007 after it became apparent he had been making inappropriate inquiries on the force's database of victims and offenders. These included searches on under-age sex, brothels and sexual grooming.

McLean was arrested on 14 August 2007 for misconduct in a public office. Following a search of his flat, officers seized a computer containing a significant number of indecent images of children. Further inquiries found that he had been involved in a number of sexual relationships with underage girls.

The court heard how McLean had met one of his victims shortly after her fifteenth birthday while visiting a pub as part of a police operation to combat underage drinking. He struck up a relationship with another victim after visiting her school as part of a religious group.

During the course of their investigation, officers uncovered a wealth of evidence including sexually explicit texts between McLean and one of his victims and a series of sexually explicit photographs of his victims.

Speaking after the sentencing, investigating officer DI Kevin Hyland of the Clubs & Vice Unit, said, "Kevin McLean's actions were totally disgusting and we are now happy that he is in prison. He was a dangerous and predatory paedophile who cynically abused his position as a member of the Metropolitan Police Service to gain the trust and friendship of young and vulnerable girls.

"There is little doubt that he would have continued to do so were it not for the tenacity and dedication of the officers investigating his crimes and the bravery of his victims whose cooperation enabled us to bring him to justice.

"The MPS is committed to rooting out and bringing to justice any employee who breaches their position of trust and breaks the law. Such people are not welcome within our organisation, which quite rightly demands the highest levels of propriety and integrity. This operation illustrates the commitment of the MPS's anti-corruption command to ensuring the integrity of the MPS and public trust in it is not undermined."

April 28, 2009