A POLICE officer downloaded vile sexual cartoons of children and sick movies featuring people having sex with animals, a court heard.

PC Lucas Beach, a serving officer with the Metropolitan Police based in Havering, was also found with indecent photographs of a young girl wearing a bikini.

Beach, 32, of Park Drive, Wickford, admitted possessing prohibited images of children, indecent images of children and extreme animal pornography at Basildon Magistrates’ Court.

Malcolm Bravery, prosecuting, said Beach was arrested following a police raid. He said: “A search warrant was carried out at his address on October 26 last year.

“They found a computer tower which had 33 images on it of the same girl. There were also 2,816 prohibited images, these were cartoons or CGI images. There were 73 videos portraying bestiality.”

Beach, wearing a grey suit and tie, spoke only to confirm his name, address and to enter a guilty plea.

The court heard many of the cartoon images would be in the most serious category A if they involved real children because of the type of acts portrayed. The category C images showed a girl aged between 12 and 14 .

Magistrates were told that they could pass a sentence at the court because of the nature of the images and the fact that Beach admitted his guilt. However, they decided that he should be sentenced at the crown court.

Magistrates told Beach: “You have pleaded guilty to these offences. You are granted unconditional bail to appear at Basildon Crown Court on July 27. If you don’t come back to court at that time you will commit a further offence and may be sent to prison.”

Beach will be told how long he must sign the sex offenders register for at his sentencing hearing.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Following an investigation by Essex Police, PC Lucas Beach, attached to the East Area Command Unit, pleaded guilty at Basildon Magistrates Court today, Thursday 29 June.

“He remains suspended from duty pending sentencing on July 27. Now that criminal proceedings are complete, a special case misconduct hearing will take place.”