Three-year sentence for sex offender who watched live abuse

12 Oct 2017 12:07 PM

A man who watched live footage of a four-year-old girl being sexually abused has been sentenced to three years in prison following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

Matthew Abbot, 34, of Coombe Dale, Bristol, was one of several users who logged into an online chat room dedicated to sharing and discussing images of child abuse.

He watched as a man streamed video of himself abusing the girl and carried on watching after the user showed the abuse was live by flashing his thumbs up.

While logged into the chatroom Abbott is also believed to have seen pre-recorded videos showing abuse of children boys as young as nine months old.

In September 2016 NCA officers arrested Abbott at the Bristol supermarket where he worked.  They searched his house and seized devices including a laptop and desktop computer.

The girl, from Denmark, has since been identified and safeguarded by authorities and the offender arrested.

The judge at Bristol Crown Court also said Abbott would be listed  on the sex offenders register and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.

Graham Ellis, operations manager for the NCA, said: “We and our international colleagues place the utmost importance on looking after victims. I’m pleased that in this case the girl has been identified and protected in Denmark.

“Abbott callously used children’s abuse for his own sexual gratification.

“While he took steps to hide his crimes they didn’t work. NCA officers, along with our partners in the police, are well-practised in detecting offenders and bringing them to justice.”