THOMAS MORTON FROM BURY SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES INVOLVING UK AND US VICTIMS
In July 2021, Thomas Morton, a resident of Percy Street in Bury, was sentenced to a decade in prison after a disturbing series of online child sexual abuse crimes came to light.The investigation revealed that Morton had engaged in heinous activities involving minors across both the United Kingdom and the United States, with his actions spanning several years and involving a network of like-minded offenders.
Morton, aged 34 at the time of sentencing, was found to have targeted young boys through social media platforms, often adopting the guise of an attractive teenage girl.
Under this false identity, he would initiate contact with vulnerable boys, encouraging them to send explicit images or perform sexual acts, which he then recorded.
These recordings were shared among a group of paedophiles who exchanged the material and offered each other advice on how to evade detection by authorities.
The Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard detailed accounts of Morton’s criminal history.
In 2013, he appeared at Bolton Crown Court after being found in possession of over 4,000 indecent images of children.
Despite this, he received a suspended sentence after probation services assessed that he did not pose an immediate risk to children under 18.
However, his criminal behavior persisted, and in 2016, police seized his laptop, which contained more than 1,000 indecent images, breaching the terms of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order previously imposed on him.
Further investigations in 2020 uncovered a staggering total of 6,032 images on Morton’s devices, including 623 in the most severe Category A classification.
The police, from Greater Manchester Police’s Sexual Crime Unit, executed a search warrant at his residence on March 3, 2020, after receiving information that indecent images had been distributed from an address linked to him.
Among the devices seized was a Samsung Galaxy phone, which appeared to have been deliberately damaged, possibly in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The evidence collected painted a disturbing picture of Morton’s online activities.
He had multiple social media accounts, some under the guise of a 13-year-old girl, using profile pictures stolen from Facebook.
Through these accounts, he befriended boys and encouraged them to perform sexual acts, often recording these acts with software he had installed.
The recordings were then shared with other paedophiles, who discussed their targets and the types of images or sexual behaviors they sought.
Police identified 14 victims, aged between 8 and 15 at the time of the offences, from both the UK and the USA.
Between November 2019 and February 2020, Morton engaged with two teenage brothers in the United States, encouraging them to have sex with each other, which he then recorded.
Additionally, he persuaded an eight-year-old boy to send ten images of himself, which were circulated within the group.
Morton faced multiple charges, totaling 21 child sex offences.
He admitted to all counts at Manchester Crown Court on February 4, 2021, including three counts of making indecent images and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.
The court heard how Morton’s activities were calculated, devious, and systematic, targeting vulnerable young people despite previous court orders.
In sentencing, Recorder Geoffrey Payne described Morton as a “prolific and predatory sexual offender,” emphasizing his dangerousness and pattern of offending for personal gratification.
The judge sentenced him to 16 years in total—10 years to be served in prison and six years on licence—and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
The court’s decision underscores the severity of Morton’s crimes and the ongoing threat he poses to the safety of children both locally and internationally.
