An Islington police officer has been sacked for possessing indecent photos of a 15-year-old child.

On July 4 at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court, PC Stephen McMillan, 26, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent photographs of the child and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

At a hearing yesterday, he was sacked for “discreditable conduct”, the Met said this evening.

Following the court hearing he was given a 12-week suspended sentence; a 24-month rehabilitation sex offender order; was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years; and ordered to pay £700 costs.

Assistant commissioner Helen King said: “The offences to which PC McMillan pleaded guilty to are serious ones and offences that rightly cause significant public concern.

“At a time when much work has been done to improve the confidence of victims to report child sex abuse and all sexual offences to the police, the negative impact of an officer being convicted of making, possessing and distributing an indecent image of a child is very obvious.

“These convictions are so serious and the impact on public confidence is such that the only appropriate outcome in this case is for PC McMillan to be dismissed without notice.”