A SENIOR police officer has described the actions of a disgraced special constable who was caught with bestiality images as 'abhorrent'.

David Parkin, who was based at Didcot Police Station, was dismissed from Thames Valley Police on Monday for possessing extreme pornography.

This included videos of men and women abusing a chicken, dog and other animals, and sexual images involving a corpse.

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He resigned from the force with effect from May 7, but the force said he would have been dismissed if he was still serving.

Deputy chief constable, Jason Hogg, said: “Special Constable David Parkin committed criminal offences for which there can be no excuse.

"The images found on his phone during the course of the investigation are both illegal and abhorrent and there is no place within our force for someone who thinks being in possession of such images is acceptable.”

Parkin’s personal mobile phone was seized on July 20 last year and, on examination, it was found to contain several extreme pornographic images.

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He was arrested on September 20 on suspicion of possession of extreme pornographic images and was summoned to court via postal requisition in February.

Parkin, of Washford Glen in Didcot, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court last month, having pleaded guilty to three counts of having extreme pornography on his mobile phone.

He was sentenced to a two-year community order, a 10-day rehabilitation course, 120 hours of unpaid work and a financial penalty of £480 in court costs.

Monday's hearing, at the force's headquarters in Kidlington, was chaired by the chief constable John Campbell, who found SC Parkin’s conduct amounted to gross misconduct.