ANDREW WHIDDETT, EX-BRITISH ARMY OFFICER FROM PORTSMOUTH, FACES JAIL FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ON THE INTERNET
An ex-British Army officer is facing imprisonment after he spent thousands of pounds watching live-streamed child sexual abuse online.Andrew Whiddett, of Portsmouth, Hampshire, also discussed traveling to the Philippines—the country where the abusive videos were recorded—to commit abuse himself, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The 70-year-old former lieutenant colonel, who received an MBE for his service in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to six charges related to child sexual abuse at Croydon Crown Court on Wednesday.
The NCA stated that his crimes were committed after he left the Army and completed private security work as the head of security at the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
Following his guilty plea, the NCA revealed that Whiddett directed live abuse sessions via Skype with known Filipino child sex abuse facilitators.
Between September and October 2016, he engaged in conversations with a woman, clearly expressing his desire to sexually abuse a child during his planned visit to the Philippines that October, the NCA added.
Investigators confirmed that Whiddett made 49 payments to the woman, totaling £8,584, between January 2015 and July 2017.
On November 21, 2015, he paid £31.41 to watch a nine-year-old girl being abused, the NCA reported.
Travel records show that Whiddett flew to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on October 21, 2016, and further messages between him and abuse facilitators were uncovered during the investigation.
The NCA shared that intelligence was passed on to Filipino authorities, resulting in one arrest and the safeguarding of six children aged between three and 14.
After his arrest at Heathrow Airport in October 2017, Whiddett admitted in an interview to sending 158 payments to the Philippines, claiming these were for live adult sex shows.
He refused to answer questions in another interview conducted in March 2018.
At court on Wednesday, Whiddett admitted to attempting to cause or incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity in November 2015, and also pleaded guilty to a charge of deliberately causing or inciting sexual activity with a girl under 16 in September 2016.
Additionally, he admitted to arranging or facilitating a child sex offence in September 2016.
He further pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent photographs of children, involving a total of eight images—six categorized as category C and two as category B.
Judge Nicholas Ainley, who presided over the case, warned Whiddett: "You should prepare yourself for a period of imprisonment." An initial temporary order to prevent publication of photos of the defendant was issued because his lawyers argued it could place him in "particular peril." However, after legal submissions from the press, the judge corrected this, lifting the restriction, which was deemed made "in error." Whiddett, who has no prior convictions and remains on bail, is scheduled to be sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on May 22.
NCA senior investigating officer Gary Fennelly stated, "Andrew Whiddett was directly responsible for the soul-destroying abuse of children thousands of miles away from him.
He thought he could get away with abusing Filipino children from the comfort of his own home.
Anyone like him should realize the NCA and UK police will never give up our pursuit of offenders who commit these horrific crimes.
The NCA works closely with international law enforcement partners in the Philippines to combat such crimes." An NSPCC spokesperson commented, "Whiddett's actions have fueled a sickening industry where children are horrifically abused to order.
The effects of sexual abuse can last a lifetime, and we hope the children involved are receiving support and safeguarding to help them rebuild their lives.
The internet remains a prevalent gateway used to facilitate child abuse.
The NSPCC is calling for providers to take greater responsibility for monitoring shared content and to cut off this vile material at its source."
