Locations
Bolton, Greater Manchester
Description
Paedophile set up live link with mums in Philippines to 'virtually abuse' children.
A paedophile who virtually abused children on the other side of the world over webcam from his bedroom has been jailed.
Jonathan Kumar used child sexual abuse websites to communicate with mothers in the Philippines from his home in Bolton, engaging in warped exchanges which resulted in their daughters being abused. The 38-year-old simulated intercourse as his young victims were forced to take part, telling one mum, "why is she angry baby? I'm going to rape her".
His sick abuse came to light when detectives investigated the sites, finding an IP address linking back to Kumar. Police seized his devices, finding the harrowing recording of his rape threat where he then carried out a sex act. Other images showed a girl exposed where she was made to carry out sex acts.
Some 20 images and videos were discovered on his devices, half of which had been recorded by him. Kumar, the son of a GP, later told detectives when pressed, "yes I've been stupid", claiming he'd been "lonely" during the coronavirus lockdown. His victims were aged between eight and 13, Bolton Crown Court heard, but tragically efforts to identify them were unsuccessful.
Miss Tara Riley prosecuting said: "A number of devices were seized from his home including two Samsung phones and a Dell laptop and they were all examined after the defendant provided the PIN numbers. One phone showed indecent images and movies of children which were taken by the handset's owner.
"There were social media chats in which the handset's owner was in communication with the children and parents of the children."
The court heard detectives narrowed down the time of the abuse to September 2022 to August 2023. The child victims were "likely" subjected to "commercial exploitation", Miss Riley said, although defence for Kumar said no money was exchanged.
Kumar who had a previous conviction for drink driving from 2009 faced up to 10 years jail under sentencing guidelines. Rachel White, mitigating, said Kumar was a "much loved" family member who had lost his father in 2012. "He fully accepts the disgusting nature of thee offences which are shocking and extremely harmful," she said.
She added the pandemic "caused a complication" in his personal circumstances and that he "became increasingly lonely" and began to seek out women online "for sexual purposes". "That behaviour escalated as he candidly admits when he became somewhat removed or disassociated with what he was doing because these were people in a foreign land appearing via a screen. He now fully appreciates these were very real children and that his behaviour will have impacted significantly upon them when he made the unspeakable requests that he did."
Sentencing Kumar to six and a half years, Judge Abigail Hudson told him: "The reality is these are children being defiled for your own sexual gratification. Their care givers are likely to be desperate or abusive people who are unwilling or unable to protect those children. They are therefore extremely vulnerable and the damage you have caused them is immeasurable.
"You are from a relatively wealthy background and had all the opportunities you could have wished for in life including a devoted and supportive family. But you put yourself in the position you are in today because you did not seek help and engaged in this behaviour. You knew it was wrong but did not seek help.
"You are extremely fortunate that your family see the other side of you and they continue to love and support you." Kumar was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life and will have to abide by the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.