An online child sex abuse predator told police he was a 'paedophile hunter' as a cover story, but was jailed after distributing and trading the most abhorrent child sexual abuse material.
Rhys Meikle, from Openshaw, Manchester, was 'operating as a prolific paedophile online' before he was caught. Police said his claim was a cover story in case he was ever caught. He distributed and traded indecent images of children with other sex offenders, detectives added.
Police raided his home in Openshaw in May 2024 after intelligence that indecent images of children had been shared online. He was arrested and his electronic devices were seized for examination, before he was bailed.
But the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) said he committed further offences while on bail, engaging with another individual online to share indecent images and videos of children and attempted to arrange their sexual abuse. During their conversations, police said Meikle 'indicated an intention to travel to abuse children', discussed obtaining and distributing indecent images and suggested he had 'a significant amount' of child sexual abuse pictures and videos.
In a statement after he was jailed, NWROCU said: 'In interview, Miekle claimed that he had no intention of committing child sex offences and said he was attempting to catch sex offenders online, asserting that he possessed indecent images because he intended to use them as part of his role as a paedophile hunter.'
Detective Constable Adam Cronshaw from the NWROCU's Internet Child Abuse Team said: 'There is no legal justification for possessing or distributing indecent images of children, even for legitimate online child abuse hunter groups. Behind every image and video shared by Meikle is a child victim of sexual abuse.'
'Meikle was operating as a prolific paedophile online, distributing and trading the most abhorrent child sexual abuse material with other sex offenders. He also attempted to arrange the abuse of young children so he could obtain first generation images to sell on a website. His claim of being a paedophile hunter was not credible and is believed to be a cover story in case he was ever caught.'
Meikle, 31, of no fixed address, was jailed for four years at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of child sexual offence and making; and distributing indecent images of children. He also received an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was placed on the sex offender register indefinitely.
Police said that at the same hearing, Meikle received a further four-year sentence after being found guilty of drugs offences, following a separate investigation by Greater Manchester Police.
Detective Sergeant Chee Chan, from GMP's Response Police Unit D Relief, called Meikle 'a dangerous individual' who ran a drug dealing operation while distributing and trading child sexual abuse material for money. 'In an attempt to evade justice, he falsely portrayed himself as a paedophile hunter despite the overwhelming evidence against him,' he added. 'His imprisonment removes a significant threat from our communities, safeguarding children and protecting the public from further harm.'
