National Crime Agency
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Local councillor admits sharing child abuse images
A 51-year-old man has been jailed after admitting to sharing indecent images of children via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Richard Willis was arrested by National Crime Agency officers in December 2016, after digital evidence recovered in a wider NCA investigation identified that he had been using the messaging apps to send the photos.
Willis, who was a Sleaford Town councillor at the time of his arrest, sent a number of images containing child sexual abuse, some of which were in the worst category possible.
On 18 May 2017 Willis pleaded guilty to three counts of making and distributing indecent images of children. He was sentenced today to 16 months; eight months to be served in prison and eight on licence. He is also subject to a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Tony Cook from the NCA’s CEOP Command, said: “Every indecent image shared by Richard Willis is a child being sexually abused.”
“Tackling child sexual exploitation is a priority for the NCA. We will use every means at our disposal to ensure vulnerable children are protected and those seeking to abuse them are brought to justice.”
