DAVID STEVENSON AND HIS SHOCKING CHILD ABUSE CRIMES IN DERBY
A 70-year-old pensioner from Chaddesden, Derby, and a registered sex offender has been sentenced to prison after engaging in heinous acts involving the live streaming of child sexual abuse.David Stevenson’s criminal activities, which spanned over two years, culminated in his arrest by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in May 2020, following an extensive investigation into his online dealings.
The investigation uncovered that Stevenson had paid individuals in the Philippines and Ghana to carry out or facilitate acts of child sexual abuse, specifically in the form of live streams.
One of his so-called collaborators was a 32-year-old woman from the Philippines, who was herself arrested in February 2020.
She was implicated in the production and possession of indecent images of two children—one an infant of just six months and the other a ten-year-old girl.
This woman also advertised her services online, sharing links to live streamed abuse videos, one of which depicted a prepubescent girl performing sexual acts.
The disturbing evidence indicated that Stevenson was directly linked to these videos.
Following his arrest, authorities seized three electronic devices from Stevenson.
A forensic review of these devices revealed shocking evidence: over 70 indecent images of children across various categories, with some classified as the most severe ('category A'), along with searches for terms like ‘nude Filipino schoolgirls’ and ‘young petite sweeties’.
Investigators also discovered Stevenson’s visits to adult sites with titles such as ‘teen sex galleries’, ‘young teen strip’, and ‘African teen’.
These searches imply a pattern of interest in underage or allegedly underage individuals, further corroborating the severity of the case.
During questioning, Stevenson claimed his online interactions were limited to adult women, primarily in the Philippines and also in Africa.
He denied any involvement with children or viewing any illegal material involving minors.
However, investigators found evidence contradicting his claims.
For instance, he had made sexually explicit comments about young girls on a chat messaging service, revealing an ongoing interest in minors.
In a subsequent interview, Stevenson admitted to regularly sending money via international transfers to women in the Philippines, including a woman he described as a sex worker, with whom he maintained an online relationship for the last 17 months.
Despite this, he insisted he had not viewed any child sexual abuse material and insisted that his site searches involved only fantasy images, many of which purported to contain adult content disguised to resemble minors.
Moreover, authorities uncovered further illegal behavior: Stevenson had deleted files from one of his devices after his arrest, breaching the Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) previously imposed on him in January 2018.
That order was a consequence of his earlier conviction for engaging in sexual communication with a child.
The previous case also resulted in a seven-year SHPO and a six-year Sex Offender Notification Requirement.
In the latest proceedings, Stevenson faced a total of eight charges, including six counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possession of such images, and a breach of his SHPO.
He pleaded guilty to all charges during a court hearing at Derby Magistrates’ Court on April 28.
On September 26, he was sentenced at Derby Crown Court to 20 months in prison and was ordered to adhere to a renewed seven-year SHPO.
Graham Ellis, Operations Manager for the NCA, emphasized the seriousness of Stevenson’s actions: “Stevenson was under the illusion that he could sit at home and view abuse of children thousands of miles away, for his own pleasure, without fear of being caught.
Those engaged in live-streaming child sexual abuse are exploiting vulnerable victims and pose a grave risk to children wherever they may be.
The Philippines remains a significant hub for this type of offending, and the NCA works tirelessly alongside international partners to identify and capture those responsible and to protect the victims involved.” The collaborative efforts between the NCA and law enforcement agencies in the Philippines, notably through the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre, continue to be vital in combating these heinous crimes and ensuring justice for the victims.
