A man who posed as a teenage boy online and encouraged children as young as seven to send him intimate pictures and videos has been jailed for more than 21 years.
Josh Scott, 36, contacted more than 40 children on Snapchat and TikTok while pretending to be aged 13 or 14, police said. Officers later found 9,200 indecent images of children on his devices, including 1,969 in category A, the most serious classification.
Sentence and Convictions
Scott, from Hanham, South Gloucestershire, was sentenced to 21 years and four months at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, August 13. He will serve 13 years in prison, with the remainder of his sentence to be served on licence. He was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Scott pleaded guilty to all charges and was convicted of more than 10 offences. These included taking indecent photographs of children, possessing extreme pornographic images and offences involving the incitement of children to engage in or view sexual activity.
Investigation Details
Police said Scott encouraged children he contacted online to send intimate pictures and videos of themselves. He screen-recorded the material before responding with videos of himself carrying out acts of a sexual nature. He also exposed himself to a child aged under 10 on TikTok.
Analysis of Scott's devices found 3,344 category B images and 3,887 category C images, alongside the 1,969 category A images. Eight images of extreme pornography were also recovered. The children featured in videos found on the devices ranged in age from around three months upwards, although police said most were aged between eight and 14.
Arrest and Aftermath
Scott was first arrested in December 2025 on suspicion of sexual communication with a child and causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity. Several of Scott's devices were seized and examined. He was arrested again on May 14 over offences for which he has since been convicted and was remanded in custody that day.
Investigating officers have remained in contact with the victims and their families, who have been offered access to specialist support services.
DC James Lester, from the Internet Child Abuse Team, said: “This investigation, and the significant sentence imposed, demonstrates how seriously these offences are treated. Scott’s actions were driven purely by his own selfish desires, and the importance of identifying, prosecuting and convicting those who commit offences involving the sexual abuse of children cannot be overstated.
“His offending involved grooming and coercing children as young as seven years old into harmful sexual behaviour. Such crimes cause immense harm and will have a lasting impact on his victims throughout their lives.
“We would like to praise the victims and their families for their courage in speaking out and supporting this investigation. Conclusions like this are only possible because of their bravery and willingness to assist in bringing offenders to justice.”
