A police officer from Avon and Somerset, Thomas Kettleborough, has been sentenced to 32 months in prison after he attempted to meet a 14-year-old boy while carrying sex toys, condoms, and bondage equipment.
Kettleborough, 35, had been engaging in sexually explicit conversations with someone he believed to be a teenager he met on the Grindr app. He arranged to meet the boy in a Bristol car park on July 14, 2023.
But it wasn’t a teenager he was meeting—it was part of a sting operation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit.
When Kettleborough arrived, officers arrested him and discovered a yellow Aldi bag in his car filled with sex toys, condoms, and even limb restraints.
A deeper investigation revealed that Kettleborough also possessed over 150 indecent images of children on his phone and computer.
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The case shocked many, especially considering Kettleborough’s role as a trusted police officer. He had been working as an inspector and was also a volunteer for the Sea Cadets and the Royal Lifesaving Society.
Using fake names online, Kettleborough hid his identity, claiming he was 28 instead of his actual age of 35.
The mother of one of the victims gave a heart-wrenching statement, expressing how deeply this case had affected her family. “I live in fear for my children’s safety now,” she said, while also praising her son for having the courage to come forward.
In addition to his prison sentence, Kettleborough has been handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.
He was also dismissed from his role in the police force for gross misconduct and banned from ever working in law enforcement again.
