The names of two police officers who were suspects in a child porn investigation were sent to the Cambridgeshire force before they were assigned to the Soham murder inquiry, it has been confirmed.

But Cambridgeshire Chief Constable Tom Lloyd said a meeting to discuss the list of possible child porn suspects was postponed due to the pressures of the investigation into the disappearances of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Brian Stevens, who worked as a family liaison officer with the Chapmans, and Antony Goodridge, an exhibits officer on the inquiry, have now been charged with child pornography offences.

Mr Lloyd said: "This was not a list of people who were known paedophiles or active paedophiles, and I want to make that quite clear."

Holly and Jessica went missing on 4 August

On 5 July, Cambridgeshire Police was given the list of 279 names and addresses of people in the county allegedly identified by the US authorities as using child pornography websites.

Officers met after the list was received and it is believed it was decided a meeting to discuss the issue would be held on 5 August.

But the girls disappeared on 4 August so the meeting was postponed.

The list was finally examined last week. When the names of the officers were spotted, detectives from West Midlands Police were immediately called in and arrests were made early the following day.

Mr Lloyd said when the two 10-year-old girls went missing, other data was deemed a higher priority for officers.

He insisted: "During the inquiry it won't make any surprises if I say that we were looking at our list of known paedophiles in the county.

"Clearly that took priority over looking at a list that was already three years old."

Exhibits review

West Midlands Police confirmed on Tuesday its inquiry had now been extended to include the claims Cambridgeshire Police had been told of suspicions about the pair before they became involved in the Soham murder inquiry.

PC Goodridge, 34, and Detective Constable Brian Stevens, 41, were granted bail on Monday after a hearing behind closed doors at Ipswich Crown Court.

Mr Goodridge has been charged with two counts of making indecent images, one of inciting distribution and a further charge of possessing such an image.

Mr Stevens faces two charges of making an indecent image of a child under the age of 16, and one offence of inciting the distribution of such an image.