Awards for Melksham officers' roles in key cases (From Wiltshire Times)

Awards for Melksham officers' roles in key cases

11:00am Sunday 20th December 2009

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Two detectives who helped gather crucial evidence to convict serial paedophile Simon Burrows have received awards for their efforts.

Burrows, the former general manager of Bumble Bees Nursery in Steeple Ashton, near Trowbridge, was jailed in May 2008 for eight years after admitting 35 child sex offences. He was branded a “dangerous predatory paedophile” by Judge Douglas Field.

Melksham detectives Sally Huggett and Tim Carnohan, of the Child Protection Unit, received Chief Constable Commendation awards at the ceremony at Wiltshire Police Headquarters in Devizes on Monday for their role in getting 44-year-old Burrows convicted.

The pair dealt with Burrows’ young victims and their families during the investigation, showing both support and sensitivity in what was an horrific case.

DC Carnohan said: “We really appreciate the commendation as we deal with pretty horrendous crimes on a daily basis .

“This case was obviously an exceptional one involving a sex offender who preyed on vulnerable children.

“It is a draining job, but we get a rush of adrenaline as well knowing that by arresting that man other children will not be harmed. The only reason you do the job is to keep children safe.”

DC Huggett, who has been with Wiltshire Police for the past decade, said: “It was nice to be recognised for the work we carried out, as it was a big investigation.

“It was pleasing to see our efforts noticed with regards to the families and the victims we dealt with. It’s nice to see justice for the families involved.”

Trowbridge Police Constable Stephen Payne was also given a commendation, as he was one of four officers involved in a dramatic siege in Wootton Bassett in 2008.

The incident centred on a man who had barricaded himself into a house, covering it with accelerants and had turned the gas on, after he tried to attack another man with a meat cleaver and a sharpened pole.

PC Payne and the other officers helped arrest the man before he could harm himself or anyone else.

Wiltshire’s Lord Lieutenant John Bush, High Sheriff Robert Floyd, Chief Constable Brian Moore, and chairman of Wiltshire Police Authority, Christopher Hoare, were among the dignitaries at the awards ceremony.

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