Former Greater Manchester officer sentenced for attempting sexual messages to presumed child

Greater Manchester Police officer Michael Aspinall, 35, from Salford, was apprehended in October 2024 after detectives from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit uncovered that he was sending explicit messages to people he thought were children. The supposed children were actually undercover police officers. At Preston Crown Court, Aspinall was convicted on three counts of attempting sexual communication with a child and sentenced to an eight-month suspended term.

He will be placed on the sex offender register for ten years, subject to a five-year serious crime prevention order, and must complete 20 days of rehabilitation. Prior to sentencing he resigned from GMP, and an internal misconduct panel concluded he would have been dismissed if still employed. He has also been added to the College of Policing’s barred list.