Barnsley sex offender who manipulated young girls into sending indecent images jailed
A Barnsley man who engaged in sexual communication with children as young as nine and had thousands of indecent images, has been jailed.
Luke Taylor, 43, asked young girls to send him indecent images, and in some cases threatened to share the images if they did not send him more.
Taylor, of Lamb Lane in Monk Bretton, Barnsley, was arrested on 5 March 2023 after officers executed a warrant at his address.
Examination of devices found at his home found thousands of images of children, including 698 Category A images, which are the most extreme category as well as 212 Category B and 1,817 Category C images.
Several children had told family members what was happening and they called in the police.
Taylor made denials or refused to comment when questioned over the course of four police interviews.
Appearing at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday for sentencing, Taylor was given five years and four months in prison.
Judge Kelly told him that he had robbed his victims of their innocence due to his “selfish, unnatural desires.”
He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to three counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, one count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, four counts of causing a child under 13 to watch a sexual act, three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child and two counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child.
He will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
DC Jess Clark, the officer in charge of the case, said: “Taylor’s offending was absolutely abhorrent, he used a social media platform to coerce and threaten young children into sending him indecent images, causing them pain for his own gratification.
“The examination of his devices uncovered offending spanning from September 2022 to September 2024, and thousands of indecent images of children.
“The volume of his offending is shocking, and I am glad that he has been caught and has been jailed for his disturbing crimes."