Back in 2019, Andrew Leigh, the Hinckley Paedophile, who exploited Filipino mothers to obtain indecent photographs of their young daughters, was punished.
Andrew Leigh scoured dating platforms to establish relationships with women in the Philippines to exploit children as young as five.
Leicester Crown Court was informed that police apprehended former serviceman Andrew Leigh on March 13 of the previous year and confiscated his iPad, phone, and laptop.
Subsequent to the officers’ inspection, certain evidence was compromised as the defendant remotely operated the devices to erase content immediately upon internet connectivity.
Gary Short, representing the prosecution, stated that certain Skype chat data was preserved, revealing that Andrew Leigh reached out to ladies in the Philippines to ascertain whether they had kids aged between five and twelve years.
A 56-year-old man, previously residing on Lossiemouth Road in Hinckley, solicited nude images of young female relatives, occasionally receiving such material in exchange for compensation.
Mr Short stated, “Throughout the exchanges, he solicited their participation in sexual acts with adult males; however, it remains unclear whether this occurred.”
Andrew Leigh’s WorldRemit account indicated that he conducted 36 international transactions amounting to around £2,000 between December 2015 and July of the previous year.
The defendant, a father of three, informed a woman that he “supported” several youngsters from the Philippines for “modelling” and solicited nude photographs of a girl aged 10 or 11.
Another woman tried to dissuade him from this, suggesting older females, but he said he wanted eight to 12-year-olds and told her to “offer them sweets”, and he would pay the woman £25.
Andrew Leigh discussed payment with another Filipino woman online, and a video call was then made where he watched “one if not two children naked in a live situation,” said Mr Short.
In several situations, mothers showed him clothed photos of children, as young as five, and if he liked them, he would request naked images and discuss payment.”
Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: “You systematically targeted women in the Philippines to have access to children.
“You offered them money to obtain images for your sexual gratification.
“They were susceptible to the offers you were making.
“This entrenched pattern of behaviour was entirely deliberate and predatory.
“An aggravating feature was that you arranged for material to be deleted automatically when the devices were plugged in for inspection by the police.
“You represent a high risk of causing serious harm to children because of the predatory and manipulative aspects of your behaviour.
“The judge said the risk is present now and will continue to be so after your release.”
He added: “However, the sort of treatment your counsel speaks of will be available to you in prison, and the courses may mean the risk that you pose will diminish in time.”
Andrew Leigh admitted two counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, by recording indecent images of children, aged between eight and 12 years, between February 2013 and March 2018.
He admitted a similar offence relating to no less than seven further occasions when he recorded indecent images of children under 13.
Andrew Leigh also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, with one image in the most serious range, category one, another one in category B and 129 in category C, between February 2013 and March 2018.
He admitted distributing three category C images.
Andrew Leigh was jailed for four years and eight months and told he will have to serve at least two-thirds of the sentence.
The judge extended the licence period for an additional five years.
Andrew Leigh was placed on an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and all future addresses will have to be listed on a sex offender register.
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