Nicholas Craig Sidmouth Paedophile who established an online platform for disseminating illicit photos of minors has been incarcerated. Nicholas Craig, 38, of Sidmouth, received a three-year prison sentence at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday.
He was apprehended by National Crime Agency agents after being identified as a group administrator on the internet messaging platform Kik.
The court was informed that Nicholas Craig would expel those who did not provide inappropriate photographs of youngsters in accordance with group regulations.
NCA investigators stated that they confiscated five devices after apprehending Nicholas Craig at his residence in February 2022.
Forensic analysis revealed the presence of 1,518 indecent photos of minors across categories A to C, with category A being the most severe offences.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Nicholas Craig had employed multiple alias profiles under the names of adolescent boys and girls to solicit children for sexualised conversations on Twitter and Telegram.
The youngest individual he encountered was 10 years old.
Investigators stated that during the interrogation, Nicholas Craig acknowledged his role as one of the group admins and asserted that he had gathered indecent photographs of youngsters to report them to Kik and Twitter.
The court was informed that he had not submitted any such reports.
On 12 May, Nicholas Craig pleaded guilty to three counts of seeking to engage a child in sexual communication and 16 crimes related to indecent photos of children at Exeter Crown Court.
The offences occurred between December 2017 and February 2022.
Senior investigator Patricia Lee of the NCA stated, “The narrative provided by Craig regarding the Kik group he managed was simply implausible.”
“His omission to disclose its contents to law enforcement or social media platforms entirely compromised his alibi.”
Nicholas Craig received a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, was registered as a lifelong sex offender, had his seized gadgets ordered for destruction, and was mandated to pay a £170 victim penalty.
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