A former high-ranking Merseyside Police officer has been jailed for two years.
John Rigby was formally dismissed as a detective constable in December after he pleaded guilty to paying for a ‘vulnerable’ 17-year-old boy for sex.
The 37-year-old also used police intelligence systems to look up information on two males he was in contact with around the same time as the incident.
Rigby, from St Helens, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday (January 16) after accepting both charges which took place in February 2024.
He received two years for paying for the sexual services and one year for computer misuse, with both sentences set to be served concurrently.
The disgraced former detective was also served with a restraining order relating to the victim.
DCI Sarbjit Kaur said: “The overwhelming majority of people who work for Merseyside Police join the force to support and help the public and they serve our communities with compassion and integrity on a daily basis.
“We will not allow individuals to damage the good name built up by the vast majority of our officers who do an exemplary job and serve our communities with compassion, integrity and professionalism.
“I would also like to reassure the public that as soon as he admitted the offences, his salary was stopped and he hasn’t received any payment from Merseyside Police since this date.
“We cannot afford to have officers and staff working for us who do not uphold the highest levels of professionalism, honesty and integrity and will always be robust in dealing with officers, or staff, whose conduct is unacceptable.
“It is vital that we as a police force maintain the public’s trust and confidence and ensure that officers and staff throughout the force realise the importance of maintaining standards and working with honesty and integrity.
“The public quite rightly have high expectations of police officers and Merseyside Police is committed to meeting those expectations by demanding high standards of professionalism, honesty and integrity.”