A volunteer police officer has been jailed for two years for nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

Special sergeant Craig Keane, 28, of Grange Road, Wickford, and a serving member of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary (MSC) pleaded guilty to the charges on Monday, February 20 at Snaresbrook Crown Court and was handed the sentence at on Monday, March 20.

He was also ordered to serve ten years on the Sex Offenders Register and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Keane, also a teacher, was charged on Thursday, January 27 following an investigation led by the Sexual Offences Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.

The MSC is the part-time volunteer police force of the Metropolitan Police Service.