A MET officer due to be charged with child sex offences left a handwritten note and a will before he killed himself.

Richard Watkinson was due to answer bail at Aylesbury Police Station on January 12 this year where he was expected to be charged with conspiracy to distribute or show indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent photos of a child, voyeurism and two counts of misconduct in public office.

However, when the 49-year-old, who was arrested in 2021 and 2022, failed to show, Met officers attended his home address in Trout Hollow, Princes Risborough, where he was found deceased.

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A coroner concluded at an inquest heard at Beaconsfield Coroners Court on Wednesday (August 30) that Mr Watkinson’s death was a suicide.

Since his death, two other since-retired Metropolitan Police officers have been jailed after a three-year plot to share 'the most depraved' child sexual abuse images together with Watkinson.

Jack Addis, 63, and Jeremy Laxton, 63, were jailed for three years and nine months and four years and six months respectively.

According to the charge, the three men conspired to distribute or show indecent images of children to each other between January 1 2018 and July 10 2021.

The images, which were found on a computer hard drive, included 2,516 in Category A – the worst kind, 1,032 in Category B and 1,701 in Category C.

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At the inquest, it was heard that Watkinson was due at the police station at 1pm. When he failed to show, officers attended his home and found his front door in Saunderton was left unlocked.

When officers entered they could ‘immediately’ see Watkinson and life-saving efforts were made.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics at 1.41pm by paramedics.

Police later found a hand-written note left on the stairs and on the dining table was a will and information pertaining to Watkinson’s bank and various memberships.

Assistant coroner Alison McCormick said: “I’m satisfied on the balance of probabilities, Richard did the act that ended his life and I’m also satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Richard intended to end his life.

“I say this because of the method he chose. Richard also left a note indicating his intention…and this occurred with the background context of the police investigation.

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“On the basis of my findings, the appropriate conclusion in this case is one of suicide.”

No immediate family members were present at the inquest but there were friends and Watkinson’s neighbours in attendance.