[Updated] Prosecutors Seek Long Jail Term for Bourque, who had 'Staggering' Amount of Child Porn

Prosecutors are seeking the longest sentence possible under a plea deal for the massive and “horrific” collection of child pornography discovered in the possession of a former Granby police captain when he is sentenced later this week.

David Bourque, who also served as a Suffield police officer for 30 years and was in line to be the Granby chief of police, had stored on a secret portion of his computer over primarily depicting young boys engaged in sex acts with adult males, according to the prosecution’s sentencing memorandum filed on Tuesday.

“This is a staggering amount of child pornography, even by today’s standards,” the memo said, noting that Bourque’s cache was among the largest ever found in Connecticut.

The memorandum was filed in advance of Bourque’s sentencing, which is scheduled to take place on Friday in the U.S. District Court in Hartford. Bourque pleaded guilty in July 2011 to one count of possession of child pornography.

The 51-year-old former officer and faces up to 20 years in prison.

According to the Hartford Courant, Bourque, through his attorney, is seeking to be sentenced to less than five years in prison, claiming that he suffered from diminished mental capacity due to post traumatic stress "from witnessing more than 200 fatal accidents and that stress, coupled with harboring a dark secret that he was sexually molested as a boy, drove him over the edge."

Prosecutors reject that argument, claiming in the memorandum that Bourque used “sophisticated” software designed to keep his collection from being detected by law enforcement. Bourque also used his position as a police officer “to assess the ability of other police officers to detect his criminal activity,” the memorandum said.

Specifically, prosecutors noted that Bourque conducted child pornography investigations and “was familiar with law enforcement techniques.”

“Incredibly, the defendant was actually investigating a child pornography case while he was simultaneously collecting child pornography during his time off,” prosecutors said.

Bourque also attended a law enforcement conference at which he approached an FBI agent and inquired about the issues the FBI was having infiltrating a platform that Bourque was using for trading child pornography.

The memorandum also provided details several online chats he had with people with whom he traded child pornography. The chats reveal that Bourque sought to avoid detection from law enforcement.

“Often, after he vetted and accepted a new trading partner, he would tell his trading partner to ‘enjoy’ himself or to ‘have fun’ while perusing [Bourque’s] collection,” the memorandum said.

The prosecution also rejects a claim by Bourque evidently made in a court document that others deposited “unsolicited” child pornography on his computer without his knowledge.

“The government respectfully submits that the defendant has resorted to this argument in an attempt to distance himself from the terrible videos found on his computer depicting the rape of children,” the memorandum said.

According to the Courant, Bourque resigned from the Granby department in June 2011 after receiving a $30,000 settlement for accrued vacation and sick time.

Correction: the original story stated that Bourque is 50 years old. He is 51. Further, the article stated that a plea agreement states that he faces 17.5 to 20 years in prison. Those are pursuant to federal sentencing guidelines.