Damien Cotgreave, 48, was a serving Detective Constable when he began sending sexual messages to a person disguised as a teenage girl.
Cotgreave, also known as Damien Gibbons, was actually sending the messages to a member of the public who then reported the matter to the police.
Sussex Police investigator Michelle Shepherd, of the Paedophile Online Investigation team, said: “Cotgreave thought he was talking to a 13-year-old girl, and engaged in very explicit sexual conversation, but he was in fact talking to an adult member of the public who reported their concerns to the police, and we immediately took action to arrest him and ensure no actual child could come to harm.
“We will always take action on such reports and anyone who has suspicions about this type of activity should contact the police immediately.”
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Cotgreave, of High Street in Hailsham, was suspended from duty after being arrested in February 2020. A disciplinary hearing in January 2021 found he would have been dismissed from the force had he not already resigned.
He has also been banned from policing.
Deputy Chief Constable David McLaren said: “The behaviour of this officer was appalling and inexcusable and a violation of the trust that the public put in the police to serve and protect them.
“We are committed to tackling criminal, misconduct and inappropriate behaviour within policing. Criminal behaviour, misconduct and misogyny have no place in Sussex Police and we will continue our journey to root this out.”
Cotgreave denied attempting online sexual communication with a child but was found guilty after a three-day trial at Guildford Crown Court earlier this week.
He was spared prison and given a one-year suspended sentence as well as a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. The prevention order restricts his access to computers and children.
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