JAMES ALEXANDER SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE PLOT IN ILLIGAN CITY
A music teacher has been sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to sexually abuse young girls in the Philippines.James Alexander, 42, was apprehended by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after it was discovered that he had sent money to known facilitators who had live-streamed child sexual abuse from Illigan City.
He was arrested on June 30, 2018, at Manchester Airport while returning to the UK from Thailand, where he had been residing since 2017.
Authorities seized his electronic devices, and forensic analysis revealed that Alexander, from Beeston, Leeds, had made at least 15 money transfers to abuse facilitators between August 2017 and June 2018.
Investigation findings showed that Alexander, a former reservist in the Parachute Regiment from 1999 to 2003, had attempted to arrange with facilitators over Skype and WhatsApp to travel to the Philippines to commit abuse himself.
A chat with one female facilitator involving a 13-year-old girl included Alexander saying: “If I meet anyone else I would like younger.” He also requested photos of her 12-year-old daughter.
It is believed that indecent images of the girl were sent to him, as his chat history shows he said: “nice baby… now take the other pictures I asked.” On February 1, 2018, Alexander discussed plans with a woman to meet the girls in a hotel, asking: “Are you going to bring them both with you and stay also,” and adding: “You’ll show them what to do.” The woman revealed she had other daughters aged nine, six, and four.
Alexander requested explicit images of the girls, aged nine and six, asking how the six-year-old would behave with him, and expressed a desire to sexually abuse the four-year-old.
He also communicated with another Filipino mother, stating his intention to have sex with her seven and eleven-year-old daughters and asking her to make the girls pose for photographs.
Further WhatsApp messages showed Alexander asking a 10-year-old girl to send him posing images and inquiring about meeting her.
No record exists of him traveling to the Philippines.
In-country investigations into the facilitators continue, leading to the arrest of one suspect and the safeguarding of several children.
Alexander previously taught at Bromsgrove International School in Bangkok, Thailand, but was dismissed following the investigation.
Safeguarding checks at the school found no evidence of misconduct there.
Authorities discovered child abuse images on Alexander’s phone.
He admitted to one count of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence; three counts of attempting to cause or incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity; and one count of making an indecent image of a child.
He was prosecuted under section 72 of the Sex Offences Act 2003, which permits UK prosecution of offences committed abroad.
At Leeds Crown Court, Alexander was sentenced to five years in prison, received a sexual harm prevention order banning him from traveling abroad, and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
Senior NCA investigator Hazel Stewart stated: “Alexander clearly tried to manipulate and exploit the poverty of the vulnerable in order to gratify his sick sexual desires.
He believed he could abuse Filipino children safely from his home and wanted to visit the Philippines to carry out the sexual abuse himself.
The NCA has strong partnerships with law enforcement in the Philippines, and we work together to combat this kind of offending.
We and UK policing will never give up our pursuit of offenders who commit these horrendous crimes.” She added: “Victims or anyone with information about child sexual abuse offences should contact their local police.”
