KYLE LEES FROM ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN SHOCK DARK WEB OPERATION

In a significant crackdown on online child exploitation, Kyle Lees, aged 21 and residing in Ashton-under-Lyne, has been sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison following his conviction for a series of heinous child sex offences. The sentencing was handed down at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday, 13 May, after Lees pleaded guilty to a total of 35 separate charges related to his disturbing online activities.

Lees’ criminal conduct was uncovered through an extensive international operation targeting a dark-web chatroom notorious for being used by suspected paedophiles to exchange extreme images and coordinate contact with children. This operation involved law enforcement agencies across multiple European countries, working in unison to dismantle the network and apprehend those involved. The investigation revealed that Lees was a prolific offender, actively participating in this illicit online community and attempting to contact numerous minors.

Law enforcement officials from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team executed a raid on Lees’ home in Tameside, Tameside, in June 2021. They identified him as a suspect linked to one of the user accounts on the dark-web site, which marked a pivotal moment in the investigation. Over the following ten months, detectives meticulously gathered evidence, analyzing Lees’ online footprint and uncovering the extent of his offending. It was discovered that Lees had created multiple fake online personas—both male and female—to contact and manipulate his victims, all of whom were girls aged between 14 and 16 at the time of contact.

Further analysis of his online activity revealed that Lees had attempted to contact approximately 3,500 profiles across various social media platforms and chat rooms. His predatory tactics involved exploiting the vulnerabilities of young victims, obtaining explicit material from them, and then using this material as leverage to blackmail them into further sexual abuse. Lees threatened to release compromising images to victims’ families or post them online, thereby exerting control and fear over his victims.

Disturbingly, some victims were coerced into engaging in sexual acts involving animals, with Lees requesting content of such acts for his own sexual gratification. The police identified several particularly vulnerable victims, including a teenage girl from Greater Manchester, who received ongoing safeguarding support in collaboration with local specialist partners. Many of Lees’ victims were targeted due to the time zone difference, as he would be online during the night in the UK while his victims were awake in the United States, making it easier for him to operate undetected.

Following his arrest, Lees was subjected to a thorough three-day interrogation, during which he made full admissions after being presented with substantial evidence. He was subsequently charged and pleaded guilty to a range of serious offences, including causing a child to engage in sexual activity, possession and creation of indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornography, and blackmail. Specifically, Lees admitted to nine counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of causing child sexual abuse images, three counts of making indecent images, one count of possessing extreme pornography, three counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, eleven counts of attempting to cause sexual exploitation, and five counts of blackmail.

In addition to his prison sentence, Lees has been ordered to serve an additional five years on licence, and he has been placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. Furthermore, he has been issued a lifetime sexual harm prevention order to restrict his future activities and protect the public from further harm. The case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat online child abuse and highlights the importance of international cooperation in tackling such heinous crimes.