DAMEN SCOTT, THE SALFORD PREDATOR, JAILED FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE IN MANCHESTER

In December 2019, Damen Scott, a 34-year-old man from Salford, was sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being convicted of a series of heinous child sex offences. The Manchester Crown Court heard how Scott, known locally in Salford, engaged in disturbing activities that involved encouraging and facilitating the sexual abuse of children, including a baby, through online communications and direct actions.

Authorities from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) executed a raid on Scott’s residence located on Ashawe Terrace, Little Hulton, Salford, in November 2017. This operation was initiated following a tip-off from West Midlands Police, which alerted GMP to Scott’s involvement in online child exploitation activities. During the investigation, it was revealed that Scott had been actively encouraging another individual to carry out acts of sexual abuse against children, sharing graphic images and explicit messages related to these crimes.

One of the key charges against Scott involved his explicit encouragement of another person to commit a child sex offence. GMP officials stated that their colleagues in the West Midlands had informed them that Scott was using a messaging service to communicate in graphic detail about child sexual abuse with a second man. The police raid on Scott’s home on 2 November 2017 uncovered indecent images of children stored on his electronic devices, further implicating him in these criminal activities.

Det Chief Insp Judith Holmes of GMP emphasized the gravity of Scott’s actions, stating, “The severity of this case should not be underestimated. Scott is a prolific paedophile who repeatedly encouraged the abuse of vulnerable children – one of which was a baby.” The case drew widespread condemnation from child protection organizations, including the NSPCC, which issued a stark warning about Scott’s dangerous behavior. A spokeswoman for the charity said, “By directing the monsters he met online to carry out unthinkable abuse of young victims for his own pleasure, Scott has shown he is a serious danger to children. His library includes thousands of images depicting suffering and pain inflicted on children, and by sharing this material, he is fueling the demand for more victims to be abused.”

Scott was ultimately sentenced to 21 years in prison, accompanied by an extended sentence of five additional years. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and was issued with a lifelong sexual harm prevention order. Furthermore, Scott was convicted of three breaches of a previous order from 2015, which related to possession of prohibited images of children and animals, highlighting a pattern of ongoing criminal behavior.

In a separate but related case from September 2019, Scott was found guilty of even more disturbing crimes. He watched a video depicting a man raping a baby and subsequently encouraged the perpetrator to commit further abuse. During the trial, Scott attempted to shift blame onto an innocent individual he had met on Tinder, claiming that this person had accessed his internet connection and carried out the crimes. However, the jury was not convinced by his defense.

Investigations revealed that Scott had used multiple online profiles to discuss his sickening fantasies. Authorities traced some of his conversations to his IP address at his Little Hulton home, where they found more than 1,500 indecent images of children on a tablet computer. After his arrest, police discovered an additional 3,300 images stored on a mobile phone and SD card, depicting children aged from nine months to 15 years old in various states of abuse.

During the trial, Scott attempted to blame a man with whom he had a brief relationship, claiming that this individual had accessed his internet and committed the crimes. The jury, however, saw through his lies and convicted him on ten counts, including distributing indecent images, encouraging or assisting offences, and making indecent images of children. The verdict was reached after approximately 90 minutes of deliberation.

Judge Anthony Cross QC, who presided over the case, adjourned sentencing until November, citing concerns that Scott posed a serious risk of causing harm to children and considering the possibility of a life or extended sentence. Before remanding Scott into custody, the judge expressed his disappointment that Scott had chosen to go to trial, noting that the evidence against him was overwhelming and that he had no credible defense. The judge also addressed the jury, acknowledging the emotional toll of the case and warning of the internet’s dual nature—its capacity for good and its potential for terrible evil, especially in the hands of predators like Scott.