SHOCKING CRIME IN SHOTTON: KEITH ATKINSON'S DARK SECRETS REVEALED

In November 2016, a disturbing case emerged involving Keith David Atkinson, a man from Shotton, who was ordered to register as a sex offender following a series of heinous crimes. The court heard that Atkinson, aged 52, engaged in highly manipulative and illegal online activities, including posing as a young woman to deceive teenage boys into performing sexual acts on camera.

During a police raid on his residence, authorities discovered an extensive digital trail on Atkinson’s computer. The investigation revealed over 65,000 chat log messages spanning more than 700 individual conversations. One particularly alarming chat involved a teenage boy who believed he was communicating with a 21-year-old woman. In reality, it was Atkinson himself, who persuaded the young victim to perform a sexual act on himself while recording it via webcam.

Further examination of the chat logs uncovered numerous interactions with young girls, where Atkinson assumed the identity of a young man. These conversations often involved attempts to manipulate minors into engaging in sexual activities or sharing explicit images. The court also found that Atkinson possessed indecent films, primarily featuring underage girls, which further underscored the severity of his offending.

Atkinson, who resided on Pippin’s Close in Shotton, had since ceased his employment following his arrest. He was subsequently sentenced to 18 months in prison. Additionally, he was mandated to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years and was placed under a ten-year sexual harm prevention order to restrict his future activities.

Earlier in the month, Atkinson admitted to multiple charges, including two counts of making indecent videos between August 2005 and June of the previous year, as well as an incitement charge dating back to 2013. He also pleaded guilty to possessing five indecent videos, four of which were classified as the most serious Category A, and one as Category B.

Prosecutor Duncan Bould explained that police arrested Atkinson in June of the previous year after acting on intelligence. During the raid, officers seized his computer equipment, which was linked to a website used for downloading child pornography. Forensic analysis uncovered seven films depicting indecent images of children, with some classified as Category A and B, indicating the most severe levels of abuse.

Further investigation revealed additional titles suggesting the presence of child pornography, although these files were no longer accessible at the time. The police also discovered chat logs from platforms such as Live Messenger and Skype dating back to 2007. Many of these conversations involved individuals claiming to be girls under 16 years old, with one specific example involving a 15-year-old boy.

Following his arrest, Atkinson issued a prepared statement claiming that his online activities were purely for research and curiosity, asserting that he had no sexual interest in the content he accessed. However, this claim was contradicted by the chat logs, which showed clear evidence of his manipulative behavior and intent.

He admitted to using peer-to-peer software to seek out child pornography and created a persona named “Steve, 18, from Chester” to communicate with underage girls. His defense lawyer, Robin Boag, argued that there were various motivations behind Atkinson’s actions, and that his client was motivated to address his behavior, as reflected in the pre-sentence report. Judge Rhys Rowlands emphasized that the nature of the images and the ages of the children involved made the offences particularly grave, underscoring the seriousness of the case.