KARL ABBOTT SENTENCED IN SAXILBY FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES AND ILLEGAL IMAGES

In March 2025, a disturbing case involving a man from Saxilby has culminated in a significant prison sentence after he engaged in predatory behavior online. Karl Abbott, aged 37 and residing on Blades Drive in Saxilby, was found guilty of sending sexually explicit images to a 13-year-old girl. The investigation revealed that Abbott had assumed the identity of a 15-year-old boy in order to groom his young victim, engaging in inappropriate and sexual communications through digital means.

Abbott’s actions included not only the transmission of indecent images but also the solicitation of similar images from the girl, further exacerbating the severity of his misconduct. The case came to light when Lincolnshire Police arrested Abbott in October 2022, seizing multiple digital devices from his residence as part of their inquiry. Despite the seizure, Abbott refused to cooperate with investigators, consistently declining to provide the necessary passwords or access to his electronic devices, which hindered the progress of the investigation.

During the course of the investigation, authorities uncovered that Abbott, who also operated a photography business called PRINTSMAZING, had taken the step of changing his name to James Smith in an apparent attempt to evade detection or complicate the investigation. The Lincolnshire Police’s Digital Forensics Unit dedicated over a year to analyzing his devices, employing advanced techniques to bypass security measures. Their efforts eventually paid off, leading to the discovery of a collection of illegal images categorized under various levels of severity, including categories A, B, and C.

Abbott ultimately pleaded guilty to five charges in court, which included possession of indecent images, sexual communication with a minor, and inciting a child into pornography. His guilty plea resulted in a court hearing at Lincoln Crown Court, where he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. In addition to his incarceration, Abbott was placed on the sexual offenders’ register and subjected to a sexual harm prevention order, measures designed to protect the community from further harm and monitor his activities post-release.