Christchurch police officer allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to underage girl

A police officer allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to an underage girl on Instagram.

Court documents seen by the Herald allege the Christchurch man, who is aged in his mid-40s, committed the offences between February 5 and February 26, 2023.

He faces two charges of being a person of or over the age of 16 years who intentionally exposed a young person under the age of 16 years to indecent material, namely sexually explicit messages via the Instagram messaging app.

The man’s occupation on court documents is a police officer.

The Herald approached police for comment. In a statement, a police spokeswoman said the man was no longer a police employee and police were unable to comment further.

A Christchurch District Court registrar confirmed the man is next due to appear in court in May.

Sam Sherwood is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers crime. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2022, and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.