A former emergency call operator facing prison for downloading child-sex images claimed he was sexually abused by a senior Metropolitan Police officer.

Jason Cullen, from Charles Street, Croydon, made the astonishing allegation at Sutton Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 4, after pleading guilty to possessing indecent images of children.

Cullen, whose real name is Jason Hodson, was arrested on February 25 after his new wife’s grandmother, who lives in Sutton, discovered 20 vile images of children as young as six on her laptop.

The 27-year-old had been using the elderly woman’s PC to access the depraved photographs.

His wife’s grandmother had found entries for the websites in the history section of her computer.

But Cullen’s solicitor said he “wanted to be caught” because, despite his computing expertise, he deliberately failed to remove the damning evidence of his sick behaviour.

When questioned after his February arrest, Cullen told police: “I am a paedophile, I cannot help it. I cannot control it but I do not get any sexual gratification from it.”

The former South East Coast Ambulance Service call operator was jailed at Kingston Crown Court for two years in 2009, after more than 8,000 indecent images of children and babies were found on his home computers.

The court had earlier heard how Cullen swapped pictures with other perverts online, some of which were rated as the most degrading level possible.

Cullen was released from prison on licence after a year and changed his name from Hodson via deed poll after death threats.

His solicitor told the court her client’s behaviour coincided with the beginning of the alleged abuse.

He claimed the abuse took place in 2000 when he was 16, but no one was ever arrested, charged or prosecuted following the allegations.

Following his guilty plea on Monday, magistrates ordered the probation service to compile a report prior to sentencing and stated that a second jail term was an option.

But Cullen may dodge prison as he has already spent 10 weeks in custody since his arrest.

The sex offender, who pleaded guilty to the 20 charges, was asked to return to court on April 18 when he will be sentenced.