by Alan Quick

A POLICE officer from Crediton who has admitted downloading child abuse images and having illegal ammunition at his home is to face a new allegation that he incited an under age girl to send him pictures of herself.

PC Jonathan Fulcher (34), who is currently suspended, admitted five offences when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court a few weeks ago but may now face trial at Exeter Crown Court after the further charge was added.

The Exeter-based officer admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, 290 indecent images in total, of children between June 2010 and October 2016 at his Crediton home.

He also admitted possessing ammunition (two bullets) without a certificate and possessing PAVA incapacitating spray.

The court heard a few weeks ago that four of the images found on Fulcher’s computer were classed as category A - the most serious type of abuse image.

He also had nine in the second-highest category, and 277 category C images.

Janice Eagles, prosecuting, said some of the lowest category images were produced during online chats with girls "who may have posed erotically during the conversations".

Fulcher denied attempting to cause a child to watch him perform a sexual act but the Crown Prosecution Service asked for 14 days to consider whether to continue with the charge.

The CPS has now decided to proceed with the charge which alleges that he incited a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity and related to screenshots of a MSN Messenger conversation recovered from his computer.

The case has been adjourned until July 6 and Fulcher was released on bail.