Christopher Wratten has been placed on the sex offenders' register

Christopher Wratten, 49, of Bexhill-on-Sea, was an officer serving in Hastings when he used his credit card to subscribe to websites featuring indecent images of children, Lewes Crown Court was told.

He was arrested after police officers working on Operation Ore, a crackdown on child porn on the internet, found more than 100 images when they raided his home.

Judge Richard Brown said: "It has to be made clear to those who get involved in this evil and sordid activity that prison likely awaits them if they get caught.

Images deleted

"In your working life as a distinguished police officer you have held yourself up as someone who is dedicated to protecting the public.

"Sadly those standards obviously lapsed once your taste for adult pornography progressed into downloading child porn."

Wratten was placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and will be supervised after leaving jail.

Wratten admitted seven counts of making indecent pictures of children at a court hearing last month.

The court was told the officer downloaded the pictures to collect evidence.

James Mason, defending, said forensic experts who searched Wratten's house had had to use sophisticated technology to retrieve the 100 images, which had been deleted.