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A Gwent Police officer has appeared in court accused of having indecent images of children on his personal phone.

Patrick Higgins, 30, appeared at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Monday July 21, having been arrested last year.

The Newport-based officer is also alleged to have accessed information on a police system without a valid policing reason on three occasions between June 2023 and August 2024.

Higgins was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children, and three counts of unauthorised access to a program or data.

He denies all charges.

Higgins was arrested in August 2024 following a detailed investigation by Gwent Police’s counter corruption unit.

Indecent images and videos of children under the age of 18 were recovered from his personal phone, which was seized during his arrest.

The officer was suspended by Gwent Police on the day of his arrest.

It is understood the allegations of unauthorised access to policing systems is not linked to the indecent images allegations.

Higgins was released on conditional bail following his not guilty pleas, but will appear at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday August 18.