A detective has been jailed for five months after admitting possessing indecent images of children.
Kevin Dunks, 27, from Hornsey, north London, had 15 forbidden images on his computer hard drive when officers raided his home in August.
Judge Peter Fingret at London's Southwark Crown Court said there was no alternative to immediate custody for the offence.
He told Dunks he would be registered as a sex offender for seven years.
Dunks joined the Metropolitan Police in 1997 and was stationed at Holborn CID at the time of the arrest.
'Transferred to a disc'
Judge Fingret said the images found on his computer were "appalling examples of child pornography and clearly reflect the evil exploitation of young children".
Dunks had claimed he was only interested in adult material and had downloaded the paedophile pictures by mistake.
But the judge said the 27-year-old had "transferred them to a disc and then stored the disc".
The court had heard that Dunks' flatmate was using the defendant's computer when he came across some suspect images.