Two retired Metropolitan Police officers accused of being part of a paedophile ring with a serving chief inspector – who was later found dead at his home – have appeared in court.
Ex-Met officers Jack Addis, 63, from Perthshire, Scotland, and Jeremy Laxton, 62, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, are both charged with conspiracy to distribute or show indecent images of children between January 2018 and July 2021.
The pair’s court appearance come after their co-accused, Richard Watkinson, 49, was found dead in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire on January 12 – the day he was due to appear in court over alleged child sex offences.
Laxton and Addis were arrested and charged following a ‘lengthy and complex’ investigation into Watkinson, who was a Chief Inspector for the Met’s neighbourhoods policing at the West Area Command Unit.
Laxton arrived at Southwark Crown Court wearing a grey suit and red scarf. While his co-accused, Addis, appeared via video-link in a red jumper for the hearing.
Jeremy Laxton, 62, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, is charged with conspiracy to distribute or show indecent images of children between January 2018 and July 2021. He arrived at Southwick Crown Court for a hearing on Thursday morning
Laxton, pictured left in a court sketch, appeared in person at Southwick Crown Court, while his co-accused Jack Addis, 63, from Perthshire, Scotland, attended the hearing via video-link
Laxton is also charged with three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, one count of possession of a prohibited image, one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image, one count of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence and one count of possessing a controlled class B drug. These offences are said to have taken place on or before September 1 2021.
Laxton was arrested in September 2021 while Addis was arrested two months later as part of the multi-force investigation. Both left the Met more than a decade ago.
Prosecutor Edward Franklin earlier said: ‘Police found indecent images of children on a number of devices.
‘The Metropolitan police investigation found a great number of category A images, still and moving, which could be best described at the high end of category A.
‘Officers found a hard drive, and that is the centre of conspiracy charge where all three defendants were bringing in material to be shared on to it.’
Met officers found Watkinson’s body having attended the address in Saunderton, Princes Risborough, following welfare concerns on January 12. He had been suspended from duty following his arrest in July 2021.
The body of Richard Watkinson, 49, was found at his home after he failed to report to a police station on the morning he was due to be charged
The Met was facing questions about safeguarding because after it was revealed the 49-year-old was a prominent officer in its west area basic command unit, where he was the schools portfolio lead for neighbourhoods
Thames Valley Police took over investigation of the case and are treating the death as unexplained but not suspicious.
Earlier Commander Jon Savell, from the Directorate of Professional Standards, said: ‘Chief Inspector Watkinson was facing extremely serious and concerning charges, as the result of a painstaking and thorough police investigation.
‘Before this matter came to light, we had no previous information about these allegations or to indicate the officer posed any risk to the public.
‘He had not faced any other criminal or conduct matters during his Met career. He had been suspended from duty since his arrest.
‘Two other men were also arrested during the course of the investigation and have been charged, their matters will now progress through the courts.’
Laxton and Addis were due to enter formal pleas today but the hearing was adjourned until May 25.
