LONDON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A male nurse in England who became a target of investigation because of his ties to "cannibal cop" Gilberto Valle in New York was formally charged Monday.
Dale Bolinger, 57, was charged at a police station in Canterbury with conspiring to poison someone, possession of child pornography, sexually grooming a child on line and then trying to arrange a meeting and seven counts of publishing obscene material online, the Daily Mirror reported.
Bolinger was detained for questioning in February and released on bail. He was again granted bail, pending an appearance in Magistrate's Court in November.
Kent Police said the investigation began with information from the FBI about Bolinger's communication with Valle on a fetishist website. Bolinger has acknowledged posting "stupid things" on line, saying he thought they were funny.
"The charges follow an extensive Kent Police investigation into alleged conspiracy offences in both the UK and the USA," a Kent Police spokeswoman said.
Valle was convicted in federal court in New York. He faces years in prison, possibly life, for plotting to kidnap, kill and eat women but sentencing was postponed while his lawyers seek a new trial.
His lawyers say his only crime was having unpleasant fantasies that he shared on line with strangers who had similar fetishes.
