ASHINGTON FROM NESTON SENTENCED FOR CHILD PREDATION IN CHESTER

In October 2013, Ashley Ashington, a 24-year-old resident of High Street, Neston, was convicted of engaging in a disturbing pattern of online predatory behavior targeting schoolgirls across the country. His actions involved persuading young teenagers to send explicit photographs of themselves, which he then shared with male students at their schools, causing significant emotional trauma.

Ashington’s criminal activities came to light when he was found to have been messaging teenagers via social media platforms, requesting them to take and send intimate images for his own sexual gratification. This occurred while he was already on bail for similar offences, raising serious concerns about his ongoing predatory conduct. His targeting was random and widespread, with thousands of teenagers across the nation falling victim to his manipulative tactics.

The court heard that in 2011, Ashington had initiated contact with girls as young as 14 through MSN Messenger, a popular chat service at the time. He would ask them to undress on webcam and persuade them to send him explicit photographs. Many of these young girls, unaware of his criminal background, complied with his requests, believing they were engaging in harmless online interactions. Prosecutor Peter Hussy detailed how Ashington’s messages often included requests for more explicit images, and some victims were even asked to perform sexual acts on camera, with images subsequently sent to him in response.

Tragically, some of the girls were persuaded to send topless or fully nude photographs, unaware that Ashington was a convicted paedophile. When two of the girls refused to send further images, Ashington sent the photographs they had already shared to boys at their schools. These images then circulated among classmates, leading to further humiliation and distress for the victims. The court was told that the victims were deeply traumatised upon discovering their images had been shared without their consent.

At the time of his offending, Ashington was under police investigation for making indecent images of children and was registered as a sex offender. Despite this, he continued to approach teenagers nationwide through social media, asking for more images. He pleaded guilty to six charges related to possession of indecent images of children during an earlier hearing.

During the sentencing hearing at Chester Crown Court, defence lawyer Kenneth Grant argued that Ashington had not distributed the images to other ‘like-minded’ individuals and had not attempted to meet any of the girls in person. He described his client as socially isolated and regarded as a ‘social pariah’ by others. Grant acknowledged that Ashington had an attraction to young girls and emphasized the importance of him recognizing and addressing this issue to prevent further harm.

Judge Roger Dutton sentenced Ashington to 16 months in prison, condemning him as a ‘wicked’ young man who targeted vulnerable teenagers unaware that they were communicating with a convicted paedophile. The judge highlighted the danger posed by such online predators and stressed the need to protect young people from the worst aspects of the internet age. Ashington was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years and was subject to a sexual offences prevention order, aimed at restricting his future conduct and safeguarding the community from potential harm.