February 2019 Vile and depraved child rapist jailed A vile and depraved paedophile filmed himself raping a baby and sexually assaulting a toddler in order to join an exclusive online club for paedophiles. Over a six month period Tashan Gallagher filmed himself abusing the children, including one when she was just three months old, and distributed the film clips to the group via encrypted messaging app Telegram. But the National Crime Agency came across the films, managed to trace them back to Gallagher and arrested him in October last year. “He said he did not have a sexual interest in children but gained gratification by communicating with others who did,” Juliet Berry, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court. She added that Gallagher wanted to join a paedophile organisation which was limited to 1,000 members but in order to gain admittance he had to upload original videos of children being abused. After filming himself sexually assaulting a three-month-old girl he posted the 14 second film but then deleted the app. “He said he regretted his actions and deleted the app to that particular site,” said Miss Berry. But a month later he raped the baby and uploaded the footage to rejoin the club before deleting it again. Gallagher rejoined, uploading more films of him abusing the baby and a two-year-old boy, on three further occasions. Judge Timothy Stead jailed Gallagher for 14 years with a further year on licence. “It is rare to have the maker of indecent images in court,” said the judge. “Words to describe the vile nature of this offending are wholly inadequate.” He commented that, despite the best efforts of the authorities, the videos of the “repugnant” abuse remain in circulation around the world for other paedophiles to download, view and share. Members of the children’s family sobbed in the public gallery as details of Gallagher’s crimes were outlined. In a victim impact statement read out in court the children’s mother said: “I was absolutely shocked and devastated when I found out what he had been doing. I don’t think I will ever get over this.” Judge Stead stressed: “Nothing I have read in this case suggests to me that the mother of the children is in any way to blame for what happened.” Gallagher admitted his guilt, but after appearing in court earlier this year the National Crime Agency were contacted by their American counterparts who had discovered a fifth video he had uploaded. In total Gallagher, of Etherstone Street, Leigh, pleaded guilty to rape, three counts of sexual assault, one of assault by penetration, five counts of making indecent images, two of distributing indecent images of children and two of possessing indecent images of children. January 2019 Pervert sexually abused boy aged under three A man has admitted sexually abusing a boy under three, photographing the act and publishing it. Tashan Gallagher, 31, stood before Wigan justices to plead guilty to sexual touching, making a pseudo-photograph of child abuse and distributing it. Gallagher, already an inmate of HMP Manchester, will be sentenced by a Bolton judge on February 1.