ARON STACEY FROM ACCRINGTON JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCE AND ONLINE ABUSE INVOLVING ISRAELI PAEDOPHILE
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Accrington, Aron James Stacey, a martial arts instructor, has been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of engaging in heinous online activities involving child exploitation and sharing indecent images.The investigation into Stacey’s actions was initiated by the National Crime Agency’s child exploitation and online protection team, which uncovered his involvement in a disturbing online exchange with an Israeli national in 2017.
Stacey, aged 38 and residing on Queens Road West in Accrington, came under scrutiny after the NCA traced his online communications.
It was revealed that he had contacted the Israeli paedophile through Skype, using the username “aztecmartialarts,” in an attempt to engage with the individual who was live-streaming abuse of his own daughter.
The court was told that the Skype chat logs between Stacey and the Israeli man contained highly alarming content, including Stacey sending a graphic image of a man holding his genitals and discussing the abuse of a child in real-time.
Prosecutor David Bentley explained to Preston Crown Court that the chat logs were “very worrying,” and further details emerged during the proceedings.
By the end of their conversation, Stacey had distributed a child sex abuse image, received four additional images of children, and shared two videos that could not be traced or identified.
These actions demonstrated a clear pattern of involvement in the distribution and possession of illegal material related to child exploitation.
Authorities identified Stacey through his Facebook profile, which displayed his photograph and listed his residence in Accrington, along with his employment at Aztec Martial Arts.
Recognizing the potential risk posed by his role as a martial arts instructor, especially given his contact with young children, police executed a warrant at his home.
During the search, officers seized a laptop and a hard drive for forensic analysis.
When questioned, Stacey responded with a dismissive remark, “Is this a stitch-up?” Despite his denials of any wrongdoing, Stacey claimed that his mobile phone and laptop had been purchased second-hand.
However, he refused to provide the necessary swipe pattern, PINs, or passwords to unlock his devices, hindering the investigation.
Subsequent requests made in April, June, and July 2018 failed to yield access to encrypted data.
Ultimately, forensic analysis uncovered a disturbing collection of illegal images, including 11 Category A indecent images of children—the most serious classification—along with one Category B video, 27 Category C images, and one extreme photograph.
Stacey faced multiple charges, including three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of distributing such images, one count of making an indecent image, and one count of failing to disclose access to an encrypted device.
He pleaded guilty to all charges.
In sentencing, Judge David Potter described the case as “worrying and desperately serious,” emphasizing the gravity of Stacey’s actions.
The court sentenced him to three years in prison and ordered him to be registered on the sex offenders register for life, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the potential risk to the community of Accrington and beyond.
