Leeds student arrested after sharing child-rape fantasies with paedophile gang

A Leeds student has been arrested after sharing child-rape fantasies with a paedophile gang.

Charlie Deacon, 21, was arrested at his halls of residence following online communications with the group. He was found to have disclosed sexual ideations about minors and distributed numerous child-abuse images.

Deacon, of Hambleton Terrace, Knaresborough, had his laptop and phone seized in April last year after his details were passed to West Yorkshire Police, the Yorkshire Evening Post reports.

Last week, the 21-year-old appeared at Leeds Crown Court where he was handed the maximum suspendible prison sentence.

The court heard that Deacon, who had been living at The Foundry on Cavendish Street, Burley, shared his sexual fantasies and child-abuse images with 25 other people.

The paedophile group the student was a part of calls itself “Club Molesters”, and its communications consist of discussing sexual interest in children.

In the online ring, the student described himself as a “MAP”, which is an acronym for minor-attracted person. He further shared fantasies involving the rape of a 12-year-old boy.

When Deacon was initially interviewed, he gave a  “nonsense” account about sending the child-abuse images to someone he disliked, hoping it would falsely incriminate them.

The Foundry in Burley via Google Street View

During a second interview in October last year, Deacon maintained the fictitious story that the images were only downloaded to frame another person.

However, a forensic analysis of the student’s devices found that he had shared 15 Category A images, which are the most serious kind.

Images and videos of children from the age of five were also stored on his phone and laptop, 80 of which were Category A, 16 of which were Category B and a further 11 classed as Category C.

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The student then admitted to three counts of possessing indecent images, as well as distributing indecent images.

Mitigating, Rhianydd Clement said Deacon was “incredibly fearful” of prison. The court heard how the 21-year-old had been exploited himself, having experienced an adverse childhood.

During sentencing, Judge Penelope Belcher acknowledged that Deacon had been engaging in efforts to address his offences, his lack of previous convictions and his age.

She handed him a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years.

In addition, Deacon was ordered to enrol on a 26-session rehabilitation course, accept 20 days of work with probation and undertake 150 hours of unpaid work.

The Leeds student has also been placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to restrain his internet use.

Featured image via Google Street View