Latest Offenders

Description

A known pervert who nicknamed his penis “Frank” told a 13-year-old that he “wanted to hide him” after grooming the youngster on Facebook.

Leeds Crown Court was told that the remark was Ronald Ling’s way of suggesting he wanted sexual intercourse with the girl.

The convicted paedophile, who is already on the sex offender register for life, also said he wanted to play strip snap with her, and suggested they meet but she bring a change of clothes because it “could get messy”.

The girl was in fact a decoy profile run by the online hunter group, Predator Exposure. Ling, 53, was suspicious of the supposed girl and even suggested he may be getting set up, but continued to message.

Prosecutor Nick Adlington said the profile received a friend request over Facebook from Ling on May 1 this year.

Despite her telling him she was only 13, he persisted in calling her “sexy”, even though he admitted to her he may get called a “nonce” and raised questions over the legitimacy of the profile.

He sent an indecent image of a child and a picture of an erect penis. He told her be had bought her a mobile phone and confectionary. He even suggested what bus she could get to reach his home on Wykebeck Road in Halton.

Ling then referred to his penis as Frank and her vagina as Cat, before making the euphemism about hiding Frank.

A video call took place between him and member of Predator Exposure on May 19, even though the decoy told him her camera was not working on her phone. Ling gave her a guided tour of his home and the garden, even telling others living there that he was on the phone to his niece.

He was approached and detained by members of the hunter group two days later at his home, after they recognised it from the video call. The police were called and he was arrested.

Ling admitted it was his Facebook profile, and that he had been communicating with the girl, but said he knew he should have not taken part. He claimed he had no intention of meeting her, and tried to claim he had no sexual interest in children.

The court heard that Ling had been jailed in 2007 for 44 months for eight counts of sexual activity with a child. He was put on the sex offender register for life and given a life-long sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

For his latest offending, he admitted attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to arrange or facilitate a child sex offence, and breach of his SHPO. He has been held on remand since his arrest.

Mitigating, Michael Walsh said: “He tells me he got carried away with what was happening. On one level he was enjoying the interaction with the other person.

“On another level he did think that this maybe is some decoy or an attempt to dupe him. He is a man of significant health problems and he is awaiting various medical procedures.”

The judge, Recorder Alex Menary, said that given Ling’s history and previous offences, only a custodial sentence would suffice.

He jailed him for 32 months, and said he would continue to remain on his SHPO and the sex register for life.

Description

A "prolific" sex offender who was arrested after an indecent image of a child was uploaded to Snapchat has been jailed for six years.

Liam Crosby, of Harewood Rise in Keighley, was found guilty of numerous sex offences against children after a trial at Bradford Crown Court.

These included making and distributing indecent images of children and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Crosby, 31, was sentenced on Tuesday to six years in custody with a three-year extended licence period.

'Victim's bravery'

Bradford Crown Court heard he was arrested on 11 July 2022 following a referral from the National Crime Agency after an indecent image of a child was uploaded from a Snapchat account linked to him.

West Yorkshire Police said his phone was seized, and further indecent images of children and numerous sexualised communications with children were found.

After he was charged and summonsed to court in relation to a number of offences, police received information that Crosby had been linked to similar offences involving a 15-year-old victim.

He was further arrested and another device seized, and police found more images and sexualised communications with children.

He was charged with additional offences and remanded into custody.

Det Sgt Craig Stevens, of the Bradford District Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: "He is a prolific offender who deserves to be behind bars for a long time.

"The victim has shown immense bravery throughout this process, and I hope the conclusion of this court case brings them some closure on an extremely difficult period in their young life."

Description

A pig farm worker who "hunted out" hundreds of "sordid" and "obscene" images of children for more than 14 years hurriedly tried to "scuttle" upstairs and shut down his laptop after police arrived at his home.

John Floater told officers that he did not want them to follow him upstairs but his panicked plan "didn't succeed" and his laptop screen was seen showing an open "pre-teen" website page. He was still involved in "serial, perverted activity" that had lasted for an "inordinate and sustained" period of time, Hull Crown Court heard.

John Floater, 57, of White Horse Lane, Ottringham, near Withernsea, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children between July 12, 2008 and October 4, 2022.

Curtis Dunkley, prosecuting, said that all the images had been accessed online and the website data was retained on Floater's laptop. The images were not immediately accessible to Floater or saved to his laptop.

Police received information on May 30, 2022 about an online account linked to Floater that was suspected of uploading indecent images of children. They visited Floater's home on October 4, 2022 to execute a search warrant.

He said that he "wasn't any good" with computers and police told him that a search of his entire home would be made. "The defendant stated that he needed to go upstairs to his laptop," said Mr Dunkley.

"When he was told that officers would need to go with him, he stated that he didn't want to be followed. He was followed upstairs into his bedroom and officers saw that his laptop was open on the bed.

"The defendant attempted to close the screen on his laptop. The laptop was inspected by police at the scene – and the screen was illuminated with a 'pre-teen' web page open."

Indecent images of children, prohibited images of children and extreme pornography images were found on all four devices seized.

There were 788 images but they were not accessible. They included 135 still images and 26 videos in the most serious Category A, 155 still images and 19 videos in Category B and 395 still images and one video in Category C.

There was search activity for young models and bestiality. The images included girls aged between three and six months old and between three and six years old.

During police interview, Floater claimed that he was not very technically able and he denied having a sexual interest in children. He claimed that he did not know that the images were illegal.

Marc Luxford, mitigating, said that it was serious offending but Floater had no previous convictions. He had recently been doing a part-time job working three hours a day at a pig farm. He had worked nearly all his life.

Recorder Sam Green KC said: "He had been at this serial, perverted activity for well over a decade. This is a long-standing habit. Rather than recoiling the first time he went online and treated himself to these images in 2008, he kept at it until he was caught."

Recorder Green told Floater: "You tried to scuttle upstairs and shut down your laptop so you could conceal what you had been doing. You told the police that you thought there was nothing illegal about it. You attempted to cover your perverted tracks.

"You didn't succeed and multiple images were found of various degrees of criminality, many involving children, some involving bestiality, some involving bestiality and children."

The images were "sordid" and involved deliberate hunting out of "obscene" images of young children of the most serious kind over an "inordinate and sustained" period of time of more than 14 years.

Floater, who had been on bail, was jailed for 20 months. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Description

A paedophile who sexually abused two young girls was convicted thanks in part to innovative software which recovered incriminating videos he had attempted to delete from his phone.

This software was purchased and funded in part by illicit profits recovered from criminals by the police.

Barry Larkin, 32, was described by sentencing judge Richard Wilkin as a “paedophile and a complete coward” after he was unanimously convicted of eight charges following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

An investigation, led by our specialist Child Abuse Investigation Team, established Larkin, of Barn Mead, Harlow, had groomed and abused two young girls in 2022.

The mother of the two girls raised the alarm after her suspicions were raised and detectives launched immediate enquiries.

With support in place, the two victims revealed the extent of the abuse they had suffered.

It was revealed on one occasion Larkin had threatened one of the girls, advising her if she told anyone, then “she would be sorry”.

Police investigation

Larkin was arrested in June 2022, his mobile phones were seized and analysed using new software purchased by Essex Police that year.

This software was partly funded by money recovered from criminal enterprise through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

We were able to recover some footage Larkin had captured of his abusive behaviour.

The trial judge allowed the unusual step of showing some of the abusive material to the jury, playing distressing videos in court.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Rachel Horton explained:

“This was not an easy decision made by the court.
“It was decided that a verbal description of the videos was never going to prove the true extent of what the girls suffered.
“The jury is made up of everyday members of the public and understandably the videos caused the jurors to experience a high level of distress.
“The judge has therefore excused them from any form of jury service for the next 10 years.”

The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on six counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching and one count of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Larkin admitted taking an indecent photograph of a child at an earlier hearing.

At the same court on Tuesday 3 September, Larkin was deemed to be a dangerous offender and handed an extended sentence.

Jailed

This sentence will comprise 12 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of two years.

Judge Wilkin said:

“You took away their innocence for your own sexual gratification.
“You are dangerous in my assessment.”

'Dangerous and opportunistic'

DC Horton added:

“These convictions are the positive result of hard work across a number of different teams within Essex Police, together with the commitment of 12 ordinary men and women who sat through a difficult trial before delivering just verdicts based on the evidence.
“We would first pay tribute to the victims and the family of the victims, who have stuck with us and displayed strength and patience in their wait for justice.
“These two girls suffered awful abuse at the hands of a despicable individual, who was rightly judged to be a dangerous and opportunistic paedophile.
“Both girls have shown remarkable maturity during this investigation and are a credit to their family.
"It is my hope they can now put this case behind them, to some degree, and rebuild their lives.
“This conviction was in part helped by pioneering work by the civilian staff at the Harlow Digital Media Hub to keep Essex Police as a frontrunner amongst other forces when it comes to the recovery and review of digital evidence from devices.
“New equipment and software that was purchased in 2022, some of which is provided through funds recovered from criminal enterprise through the Proceeds of Crime Act, allow us to use criminal profit against other criminals and in support of vulnerable victims.
“These convictions relied heavily on digital evidence, some of which would not have been recovered if not for these improvements.”

The two victims were supported throughout this case, from initial disclosures to sentence, by an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA).

An ISVA operates entirely independently of the police, providing emotional and practical support to victims and survivors of both recent and non-recent sexual abuse.

Description

A creep who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl and then walked along train tracks asked police "what's the problem?"

Karol Jaworski, 40, approached the child, who was wearing her school uniform, in a shop and remarked "good arse". The victim then felt a hard slap on her bottom which caused a sting and when she turned around she saw Jaworski looking at her.

A court heard, in a separate incident, the sex fiend walked along train tracks - after missing a lift - actions which led to severe delays on the line near Port Talbot, south Wales, and which cost National Rail £30,749. He initially told police: "I do this in Poland all the time – what's the problem?"

Jaworski appeared in court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to sexual assault and obstructing an engine or carriage of a railway. He was sentenced to a total of 16 months of imprisonment. He was also made subject to a restraining order for 12 months and to sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.

Sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: "What is it coming to when a young schoolgirl cannot go into a shop without being sexually assaulted in the way in which she was by somebody like you?" In reference to the railway offence, the judge said: "You might be doing this regularly in Poland but you do not do it in Great Britain."

Following the sex attack, Jaworski shouted: "F*** off, f*** off" as he left the shop in Bridgend, south Wales. Police were called but the sex fiend said it "came out of the blue" he could go to prison.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Martha Smith-Higgins, the victim said: "I feel anxious about attending the town centre as it's where the incident took place. I feel different about attending the town centre and I have not been back since the incident took place. I feel like I can't attend school as I don't feel comfortable about older men.

"I had a mark on my bottom which made me feel disgusted and sickened. It upset me about the force used. It left me feeling cautious of older men. I was wearing a school uniform and obviously I was a child."

On February 21 this year, the British Transport Police received multiple reports of a man walking on the train tracks from Briton Ferry railway station towards Port Talbot Parkway. Jaworski was located trackside near the car park of Port Talbot Parkway, reports Wales Online. He initially told police: "I do this in Poland all the time – what's the problem?" and said he had been walking along the railroads after missing a lift.

Ms Smith-Higgins said due to the defendant's actions trains had to be held and stopped for 56 minutes. Three trains were immediately affected and there were further delays throughout the evening. There were a total of 375 minutes of delays which cost National Rail £30,749.

In mitigation, the court was told the sexual assault was "short-lived" and the defendant, who lives in Bridgend, was heavily intoxicated at the time through drugs. In reference to the railway offence it was said he left the tracks as soon as he was asked.

Description

A County Durham rapist who carried out the "hideous" sexual abuse of a child while drunk has been caged for 12 years.

James Smith left his victim "uncomfortable" in their own skin and battling feelings of "disgust" after raping and sexually abusing them. The 43-year-old carried out the abuse when he was drunk and maintains his innocence, despite being found guilty by a jury.

On Monday, Smith, of Spennymoor, appeared at Durham Crown Court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for rape, sexual assault of a child, and sexual activity in the presence of a child. He was convicted after a three-day trial on August 2. Prosecutor, Shaun Dodds told the court that Smith carried out the offences "under the influence of alcohol".

In a statement, Smith's victim, who was a child at the time of the offences, said that they only began to "process" what happened to them when they got older. They said they felt "disgust in the pit of my stomach" and "uncomfortable in my own skin". The victim also made attempts to take their own life, the court heard.

Thomas Sherrington, defending, told the court Smith "still maintains his innocence". He said: "The offences were completely out of character. He has no previous convictions for sexual matters."

Mr Sherrington added: "It appears [the offences] were unplanned. There is little personal mitigation as he continues to deny the offences...he does suffer from depression and anxiety."

Sentencing Smith, Judge Adams said: "You had chronic alcohol problems at the time, which you were in complete denial about."

Judge Adams said that Smith's alcohol abuse was an aggravating factor in the offences as he "knew what you were doing" and that he acted in a "hideous manner". He added: "I accept you may have no memory of the offences given the state you were in."

Smith was jailed for 12 years and made subject of a lifetime restraining order. He will also be on the sex offender register for life, and a 20 year sexual harm prevention order was also imposed.

Description

A Southampton man has been jailed for rape and coercive and controlling behaviour towards a woman in her 30s.

Luke Ross Cromar, 30, of Bramley Crescent, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Friday (6 September), where he was sentenced to nine years in prison.

We were called in January this year by the victim, who reported that Cromar had been mentally and physically abusive towards her on many occasions since the summer of 2022.

During this period, incidents included Cromar monitoring the victim’s whereabouts by setting up a smart speaker inside her home, assaulting and threatening her, causing her to fear violence. She was also forced to have sex with Cromar, for fear of violence and assault if she did not do so.

An investigation by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Western Operation Amberstone team, which specialises in rape and serious sexual assault, led to the arrest and charge of Cromar.

He pleaded not guilty to charges of vaginal rape, oral rape, assault by penetration and coercive and controlling behaviour, however a jury found him guilty of all counts following a trial at Southampton Crown Court.

He has now been sentenced to eight years in prison for these charges, with an additional year for breaching an existing suspended sentence.

Detective Constable Marie Leather, who led the investigation, said: “Cromar’s prolonged period of abuse, violence and coercive and controlling behaviour, which spanned two years in total, has understandably had a severe impact on the victim, which will stay with her forever.

“While nothing can take that away, I hope that this sentence goes some way into helping her move forward with her life, knowing that Cromar is now behind bars.

“Coercive and controlling behaviour is an act or pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim. This controlling behaviour is often designed to make a person dependent by isolating them from support, exploiting them, depriving them of independence and regulating their everyday behaviour.

“I am so grateful to the victim and commend her courage in coming forward and reporting what had been happening to her. Her bravery throughout the investigation and criminal justice process has helped us put Cromar in jail for what he has done.

Description

A man has been jailed for the rape of a woman at a house in Southampton earlier this year.

Thomas Antony Drew, 26, of Golden Grove, appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 5 September) where he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order with strict conditions for seven years, and will have a restraining order, meaning he will not be able to make contact with the victim for 15 years.

The woman involved, who is in her 30s, reported to police that in the early hours of Tuesday 27 February she was with Drew at a house in Southampton when he forced himself upon her and raped her.

An investigation was launched by Southampton’s Amberstone unit, which specialises in reports of rape and serious sexual assault, and Drew was arrested and subsequently charged.

At a Southampton Crown Court hearing in July he pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said that Drew had abused her trust in the most devastating way imaginable, and that what happened to her had impacted both her mental and physical health.

Description

A POWYS sex offender who breached an order by downloading 114 more of the worst images of child sexual abuse has been jailed.

Jason Moore, who was previously convicted under the name of Leon Barry Shinkwin in May 2023, was sentenced to 15 months at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday for four offences of making offensive images.

He was found with 122 category A images - the most serious kind - 47 category B and 231 category C images across two devices, including still pictures of the rape and sexual abuse of a girl aged between two and four years old.

He also breached his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) which had been ordered in 2017.

Recorder R Philpotts heard that on April 30, 2022, Dyfed-Powys Police visited 35-year-old Moore’s address in Neuadd Terrace, Bronllys to check up on devices and internet history.

They knocked on the door and were told that Moore ‘was getting dressed’ but took five minutes to allow them into the property, arousing suspicion that he had been deleting his internet history.

An immediate search of the device showed gaps in the history on that device but screengrabs were found with eight category A images, 11 category B and 60 category C.

He was eventually interviewed in October 2022 and denied deleting his history, saying he had lost other devices on a night out in Cardiff.

Officers attended his workplace but were unable to gain access to his locker. By they the time they had returned the next day, they were told Moore had emptied it and removed it from the premises.

Officers were able to view CCTV that showed him using a phone and that device was never recovered.

In November 2022 – six months after his arrest – a third device was found containing 114 category A images including the rape of a girl between two and four by two men, as well as 36 category B and 171 category C.

He denied, again, the deletion of internet history because ‘I would be in breach of my SHPO’ but the court heard that his attempt to hide the device, by clearing out his locker, constituted the new breach.

In mitigation, Moore’s defence barrister Nick Gedge called for 25 per cent off his sentence because of an early guilty plea and also reminded the court that in the two years since his arrest, he had not reoffended.

He also called on Recorder Philpotts to spare his client jail so he could complete the Horizon rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.

Description

A man has been sentenced to ten years in prison after a 23-year campaign of controlling, violent and sexual abuse directed towards three women.

George McDonald targeted his victims across a number of locations in Argyll and Bute between 2000 and 2022.

The 43-year-old knocked his first victim over the head with a piece of wood before threatening her with a gun.

McDonald struggled with the same woman outside a pub before opening the bonnet of her car and tearing out wires from the engine, disabling the vehicle.

The second woman was verbally and physically abused by the 43-year-old on a number of occasions, including on one occasion when she was left without transport.

McDonald tracked the movements of his third victim, broke her phone, read her messages and coerced her to share her social media accounts. 

He also physically beat the woman and threatened to kill her and her parents.

The man was found guilty of ten charges, including two domestic abuse offences and four sexual offences, at  the High Court in Paisley on July 29.

On Thursday, McDonald was given a 14-year extended sentence, with ten years in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh. 

He has also been added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Scotland’s procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offending, Katrina Parkes said:“George McDonald is a dangerous individual who subjected his victims to unimaginable trauma and abuse over a number of years. 

“It is thanks to the bravery of these women giving evidence that this prosecution has been possible. 

“I hope this conviction brings some comfort while sending a message that this type of offending has no place in Scotland.  

“I would urge any victim of similar crime to report it and seek support. You will be listened to and we will use every tool available in seeking justice.” 

Detective Inspector Cheryl Gebbie added: “McDonald was an abusive individual and it’s difficult to comprehend the distress and suffering he caused the women in this case.

“They showed an enormous amount of strength in reporting these crimes to the police and in doing so, McDonald will now face the consequences of his actions.

“If anyone is experiencing or has experienced any type of violence or sexual abuse, we have detectives dedicated to investigating such offences. Please report it, and be assured you will be fully supported and listened to.”

Description

A Bulwell man has been jailed after exchanging a series of explicit text messages with a vulnerable teenage girl.

William Howell, who began exchanging messages with the girl when she was only 13 years old, came to police attention when a report was made by the girl’s mother.

A forensic investigation of his mobile phone revealed multiple explicit messages sent over a prolonged period of time.

Howell, now aged 46, was well aware of the girl’s true age when the offences took place.

He later pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communications with a child.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, August 30, Howell, of Northall Avenue, Bulwell, was jailed for 11 months.

He was also made the subject of a sexual ham prevention order that will restrict his access to children and his online activities once he is released from prison.

Detective Constable Joanne Thompson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Howell was well-aware this girl was nowhere close to the age of consent when he exchanged these messages.

“His actions were totally indefensible and have understandably had a significant impact on this girl and her family.

“I am pleased he has now been jailed and hope this sentence serves as a reminder to others about the potential consequences of this kind of behaviour.”

Description

A child sex offender from Staffordshire has been sentenced to 16 years after the survivors came forward.

Kris Middleton, 39, of Baddeley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Wednesday (4 September) after he was found guilty at an earlier hearing.

Our detectives questioned him in March 2021 after one of the survivors bravely came forward.

Since then, we’ve been working tirelessly to secure all of the evidence required to bring Middleton to justice.

Through the bravery of the survivors and our evidence, a jury found Middleton guilty on 15 counts following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 21 May this year. These include eight counts of sexual assault of a girl under 13 and seven counts of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Middleton was sentenced to 15-years imprisonment for his crimes, with an extended license period of one year, given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Description

A child sex abuser has been jailed for 14 years after a jury saw through his lies.

David Spowage, from Rochester, committed offences including rape, sexual assault and taking an indecent image of a child, against a teenage girl in August 2022.

He was arrested and later charged after the victim reported the crimes.

The 39-year-old denied the offences but a jury at Maidstone Crown Court found him guilty at an earlier trial and on Friday, August 30 he was jailed for 14 years.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Ellie Allen said: Spowage targeted the teenager for his own sexual gratification.

He denied the charges and put her through the ordeal of a trial, hoping to not be found guilty but the jury saw through his lies.

I want to commend the victims bravery and courage in reporting his offending.

His lengthy sentence will ensure he can no longer harm anyone else.

Description

A convicted child sex offender is back behind bars after he downloaded images of abuse on a mobile phone he was barred from possessing.

Gavin Thornton was caught with the sickening child abuse images and videos when specialist police officers carried out an impromptu search of his home.

The 44-year-old was caught with more than 7,000 indecent images of children with more than 600 in the worst legal category.

Cole Cockburn, prosecuting, said the defendant was caught with images in September 2022 and again earlier this year when police searched his home.

He said: “In September 2022, police searched his home and discovered a number of electrical devices, including a laptop and a smartphone, which there then analysed.

“The images featured children as young as four subjected to various forms of sexual abuse.”

The court heard how the defendant was released on bail but continued to download child sexual abuse images.

He was convicted of similar offences in January this year and was given a suspended prison sentence.

Mr Cockburn said the defendant was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and notification requirement order as the result of the earlier conviction.

The court heard how Thornton had failed to register a new smart phone and a number of aliases he was using to contact people online.

Thornton, formerly of Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to breaching his SHPO, breaching the conditions of his notification requirement order, six charges of making indecent images of children and one of distributing an indecent image of a child.

Nigel Soppitt, mitigating, said his client had spent ten months in custody since his arrest which is the equivalent of a 20-month prison sentence.

He added: “In the short time from the order being imposed and his offending, he had engaged enthusiastically with the probation service and there were no problems at all in that respect.

“He is a man who plainly wants to avoid this compulsion he has.”

Judge Jonathan Carroll locked the convicted sex offender up for a total of two years and eight months for all offences after he activated his previous suspended sentence for the 'high risk' offender.

“You have already had two sets of previous offences, all of a similar type,” he said.

“When the police officer attended your home, you had two opportunities to make a clean breast of the situation, you were still committing offences.

“It is clear to me that you are at a level of risk which cannot be safely managed in the community.”

Description

A paedophile "traded" sickening child abuse images to other perverts online and deleted a messenger app minutes before his arrest.

Nissan worker Scott Francis shared category A, B and C videos and pictures to other paedophiles online and was caught after a National Crime Agency investigation. The 47-year-old had been distributing material which depicted children as young as four-years-old being abused.

On Thursday, Francis, of Bowes Avenue, Easington Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to be sentenced for three counts of distributing indecent images of children. He had pleaded guilty to the offences.

The court heard that on November 16 2021, Northumbria Police received a referral from the National Crime Agency which suggested indecent images of children had been uploaded to the internet via the Kik messenger app. The account which had uploaded the images was linked to Francis.

Antonia Adie, prosecuting, said: "Police went to the defendant's home in January 2022 and his iPhone was seized and he was arrested. He was interviewed and made admissions. He said he used the account to look at pornography and that sometimes indecent images were put into chats he was in.

"He said he'd received images and traded them in order to access pornography he was interested in." Ms Adie said that the Kik app he had been using had been uninstalled minutes before he was arrested and that it was an attempt to "conceal his offending".

In total, Francis shared four category A images, two category B images and two category C images. Videos were also included, the court heard.

Helen Towers, defending, said Francis has a son and that he was "deeply ashamed" of his actions. She said: "He has no previous convictions and worked for 12 years at Nissan." She added he had shown "remorse" and that prison would have a "significant impact on those reliant on him".

Judge Prince jailed Francis for two years. He will also be on the sex offender register for 10 years and a 10 year sexual harm prevention order was also imposed.