A former Norfolk police officer who was jailed after admitting offences relating to indecent images of children has had a custodial sentence quashed.

Neal Porter, 32, a former police response officer based at Wymondham, was sentenced to two years in prison in November last year.

Norwich Crown Court had heard how Porter took pictures of the victim, who had said he was nearly 18, involved in intimate acts after they met on a social networking app.

But the victim, who was actually 14, went on to tell a teacher about what had happened and Porter, of William Close, Watton, was jailed after he admitted taking an indecent image of a child.

He also pleaded guilty to distributing an image of a child and three counts of making an indecent image of a child between June 2020 and October 2020.

But Porter had his sentence "quashed" on Thursday (March 10) following a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London after the defendant had lodged an appeal.

In quashing the jail term and instead imposing a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, Mr Justice Julian Knowles acknowledged the "special features of this case" merited a custodial sentence, but one which "should've been suspended".

Factors taken into consideration included Porter's "reasonable belief" the teen had been 16 or over at the time of the offences and the fact the images were taken by Porter with the victim's "knowledge and consent".

Mr Justice Knowles, who was one of three judges presiding over the case, said it meant that while there was distribution of the images it was the "most restricted distribution possible".

Porter's previous good character and the fact he was sacked from working as a police officer as a result of these offences were also taken into account.

Mr Justice Knowles insisted it was a case which had "some very special or unique factors".

There were no changes to the 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) or requirement to sign on the sex offenders register for 10 years imposed on Porter during the sentencing hearing last November.

Andrew Oliver, who represented Porter, said the defendant "genuinely believed" the victim was 18 and that he was taking a video of someone he thought was that age.