DEAN JONES AND STEPHEN STOTT FROM ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE AND STOCKPORT JAILED IN CHILD ABUSE INVESTIGATION

In December 2017, a disturbing case involving two British men, Dean Jones from Stockport and Stephen Stott from Ashton-under-Lyne, came to light following a comprehensive international investigation into online child abuse. The investigation uncovered a horrifying network of paedophiles who used a clandestine app to share and view live footage of children being subjected to sexual abuse, with some videos depicting children as young as 12 months old.

Authorities revealed that groups of up to fifty individuals accessed these illicit video conference rooms through mobile phone applications, utilizing ten-digit PIN codes to enter. Inside these secret chat rooms, they watched and discussed extremely disturbing videos showing young boys and girls, some as young as one year old, being raped in real-time. The court was told that the content was not only shared but also actively discussed among the offenders, highlighting the extent of their depravity.

In 2015, Stephen Stott, then aged 23 and residing in Ashton-under-Lyne, was identified as an active participant in these online forums. Court proceedings at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester detailed how Stott engaged in conversations within these chat rooms, posting and replying to messages. One particularly disturbing video involved a five-year-old girl being raped, and Stott’s comments included: “Would love to see boy,” “anyone snuff?” and “who wants tiny?” These remarks reveal a disturbing fascination with the abuse and a desire for further involvement.

Further evidence showed that Stott, then working as a hospitality worker, inquired about the possibility of actual participation in child sex abuse, asking others in the chat rooms: “Anyone had real?”, “anyone with access,” and “any UK with access.” His online activity demonstrated a clear intent and interest in engaging in or facilitating further abuse.

In July 2016, the National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested Stott. An analysis of his mobile phone revealed that he had sent video clips to Dean Jones, who was later also arrested. These videos depicted children as young as ten being repeatedly raped and abused. The investigation uncovered that Jones, a 34-year-old from Stockport working in palliative care, had exchanged messages with Stott that included a question about child-minding: “You child minding soon?” to which Stott responded: “Hopefully. What you wana do then? What if he said something?”

While Jones was found to have filmed himself participating in sexual encounters, none involved children, according to reports from Mail Online. The authorities also discovered that Jones had engaged in sexual activities with adults, but there was no evidence of him abusing children directly.

Prosecutor Jon Close explained that the chat rooms were highly exclusive, accessed only by invitation, and operated with a level of sophistication that made them difficult to detect. The court heard that the behavior of both men was “most disturbing,” with Judge Mark Savill describing their actions as “warped.” The judge emphasized the gravity of their deviant interests, stating, “It is most disturbing that both of you have shown deviant sexual interest in very young children. The images and discussions you engaged in are abhorrent and distressing in equal measure. You have both abandoned the moral compass and you should hang your heads in shame.”

Stott pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including making and distributing indecent images, possessing extreme images, aiding and abetting the showing of indecent images, and conspiracy to perform a sexual act with an animal. He was sentenced to 32 months in prison and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. Jones admitted to conspiracy to commit a sexual act with an animal, possessing extreme images, and making an indecent image of a child. He received a nine-month prison sentence and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years. The court’s ruling underscores the severity of their crimes and the ongoing efforts to combat online child exploitation.