ANDREW LEIGH FROM HINCKLEY SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND CHILD EXPLOITATION IN LEICESTER

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Hinckley and the wider Leicester area, Andrew Leigh, a 56-year-old man, has been sentenced for his involvement in a series of heinous crimes related to child exploitation and possession of indecent images of minors. The case was brought to light after police investigations uncovered Leigh’s disturbing online activities targeting vulnerable Filipino mothers and their young daughters.

Leigh, a former serviceman residing on Lossiemouth Road in Hinckley, was arrested on March 13 of the previous year. During the raid, authorities seized his electronic devices, including an iPad, phone, and laptop, in an effort to gather evidence. However, some crucial data was lost when Leigh managed to remotely control his devices, deleting material as soon as they connected to the internet, complicating the investigation. Despite this setback, investigators managed to recover some Skype chat logs that revealed Leigh’s disturbing online conduct.

Prosecutor Gary Short detailed the extent of Leigh’s online predation, explaining that the chat logs showed Leigh reaching out to women in the Philippines, seeking to establish contact with their daughters, some as young as five years old. Leigh’s inquiries often involved requesting naked photographs of young girls, sometimes in exchange for money. The court was told that Leigh’s communications included requests for sexual acts involving adult males, although it remains unclear whether these acts took place.

Financial transactions further illustrated Leigh’s predatory behavior. His WorldRemit account was used to make 36 overseas payments totaling approximately £2,000 between December 2015 and July of the previous year. Leigh, a father of three, claimed to one woman that he supported several girls from the Philippines for modeling purposes, but he also explicitly asked for naked images of a girl aged 10 or 11. When another woman attempted to dissuade him, suggesting he consider older girls, Leigh insisted he wanted children aged between eight and twelve, instructing her to offer them sweets and promising to pay her £25 for each image.

Further disturbing evidence emerged during the investigation. Leigh engaged in a video call with a Filipino woman, during which he watched what was described as “one if not two children naked in a live situation.” Multiple mothers showed him photographs of their children, some as young as five, clothed, but if Leigh expressed interest, he would request nude images and discuss payment arrangements. These exchanges revealed a systematic pattern of targeting vulnerable women to gain access to their children for sexual exploitation.

Judge Nicholas Dean QC condemned Leigh’s actions, stating, “You systematically targeted women in the Philippines to have access to children. You offered them money to obtain images for your sexual gratification. They were susceptible to the offers you were making. This entrenched pattern of behaviour was entirely deliberate and predatory.” The judge also highlighted Leigh’s attempt to evade detection by arranging for the automatic deletion of material from his devices when police inspected them, describing this as an aggravating factor.

Judge Dean emphasized the high risk Leigh poses to children, noting, “You represent a high risk of causing serious harm because of the predatory and manipulative aspects of your behaviour. This risk is present now and will continue after your release.” However, he acknowledged that Leigh could benefit from prison-based treatment programs, which might reduce the danger he poses in the future.

Leigh pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, by recording indecent images of children aged between eight and 12, spanning from February 2013 to March 2018. He also admitted to seven additional instances of recording indecent images of children under 13, along with three counts of making indecent images—one in the most serious category (category one), another in category B, and 129 in category C—between February 2013 and March 2018. Additionally, Leigh admitted to distributing three images classified as category C.

The court sentenced Leigh to four years and eight months in prison. He was also ordered to serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole. Furthermore, the judge extended the period of license supervision by an additional five years. Leigh was placed under an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and all his future addresses are now required to be registered on the sex offender register, reflecting the seriousness of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.