A 23-year-old man from Widnes has been jailed for five years and four months after using the Roblox gaming platform to contact a 12-year-old girl and then sending her indecent images via WhatsApp. Cheshire Police later found that Ryan Caine had also targeted five other children aged between 13 and 16.
Investigation reveals multiple victims
Caine came to police attention after sending sexual messages to the 12-year-old. Officers said he sent multiple explicit images and videos while encouraging her to engage in sexual activity. He was arrested on April 16 last year after a raid on his home.
Two mobile phones seized during the raid were analysed and showed messages sent to the other children, with Caine again sharing indecent images of himself and encouraging them to engage in sexual activity. Officers also found 86 indecent images of children on his devices, ranging from Category A to Category C. When interviewed, Caine refused to answer any questions.
Charges and sentencing
Caine, of Deacon Road, Widnes, was charged with six counts of causing a girl to engage in sexual activity, five counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, five counts of causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity, one count of possessing indecent images of children, and three counts of making indecent images of children.
He pleaded guilty to all charges at Chester Crown Court and was sentenced on Friday, October 16. He was also made subject to a 30-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a 10-year restraining order.
Police response
Detective Constable Luke Chadwick, of Cheshire Police, welcomed the sentence, saying Caine was left with no choice but to plead guilty given the evidence discovered on his devices. He said Caine was aware his victims were underage and continued with his actions regardless.
Chadwick said Caine used social media to specifically target young girls with sexualised messages and indecent images to fulfil his own desires, and that the evidence gathered meant he has now been held accountable. He added that he hopes the case reminds parents and guardians to warn children about the dangers of communicating with people via social media and to watch for warning signs of sexual exploitation.
