PAEDOPHILE JAILED FOR TARGETING VULNERABLE CHILDREN ONLINE
A paedophile who breached a court order and targeted vulnerable children online has been jailed for five years.Peter McAskill used pseudonyms online to trick children into believing he was their age.
He would then encourage them to send sexually explicit pictures of themselves to him.
He was arrested in August 2023 and made subject to a Sexual Risk Order (SRO) after officers identified his offending cantered around young children.
During questioning, McAskill denied involvement in requesting and possessing indecent images, but digital forensic officers disproved these claims.
In October last year, McAskill, of West End Road, Berwick, was charged with child sexual offences including making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography, and a prohibited image of a child.
He pleaded guilty in December and was sentenced to five years in prison.
He will also be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
