18-YEAR-OLD SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR CREATING CHILD ABUSE IMAGES

A man who has been involved in creating and sharing hundreds of indecent images of children has received an 18-month sentence at York Crown Court. The offender, Dylan Paul Ansell, 18, previously from Harrogate but now residing in Ely, was found to possess devices containing photos of children as young as three years old. During the proceedings, Ansell admitted to ten offenses related to the images and a charge of stalking a victim via social media. Furthermore, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years. According to North Yorkshire Police, Ansell initially gave no comment when interviewed about the content on seized devices on August 20, 2021, when he was only 16. Later, he pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent photographs of children, three counts of distributing such images, possessing extreme pornography, possessing a prohibited image, and stalking. Police investigators noted that Ansell created and manipulated photos of children for sexual purposes and was part of an online network sharing such material. His actions caused significant distress to victims, including one he repeatedly stalked using false social media accounts. The police statement described him as having shown a blatant disregard for bail conditions by repeatedly attempting to contact the victim and showing no remorse. In addition to his imprisonment, Ansell was issued a 10-year sexual harm order and a five-year restraining order.