A baby-faced couple who used an online chat site to commit sex crimes against children have been jailed.
Nick Barrett, 23, and Summer Andrew, 23, wept in the dock as they were sentenced to a combined 15 years in prison.
Officers from the Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) launched an investigation in December 2021 following information that Andrew and Barrett had engaged in sexual acts with children online.
Further investigation revealed that the pair had filmed themselves having sex in exchange for watching live footage of a four-year-old child being abused.
Barrett, from Harwich, was charged with sexual activity in the presence of a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. He pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, of which he will serve at least seven years.
Andrew, from Clacton, was charged with arranging a child sex offence. She pleaded not guilty but was found guilty after a trial and sentenced to three years in prison
The couple was arrested and charged on June 29, 2022.
Barrett, of Harwich, was charged with sexual acts in the presence of a child and arranging or facilitating a child sex offence.
Andrew, from Clacton, was accused of organising a child sex offence.
Barrett pleaded guilty to both crimes and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, of which he must serve a minimum of seven years.
During the trial, Barrett was described as someone who had “no insight into his sexual preoccupation” and who posed “a real risk of sexual harm to children in the future”.
“Both defendants were in fact trading and livestreaming their sexual activities in exchange for child abuse,” said prosecutor Nicola May.
‘The stranger was aroused by what was shown. Sexual activity was encouraged.’
Andrew pleaded not guilty, but after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court he was found guilty on 11 April 2024.
She was sentenced to three years in prison. Both were given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and an indefinite NRO (Notification Requirement Order).
Judge Morgan told Andrew he was satisfied she “knew you were going to become sexually active” and that she could have seen and did see the screen showing a child being sexually abused.
“This offense is so serious that only a prison sentence is justified,” the judge told her.
“It may be that there was no video or contact made on your phone, but the problem I’m dealing with is that after you’re released, you’re going to be in a similar relationship to Barrett.”
Detective Constable Nicola Hadfield said: ‘Thanks to their tireless efforts we have been able to save other children from harm at the hands of Barrett and Andrew.
The two will now be registered as sex offenders, which means they will have to be given unlimited notice and any interaction with children in the future will be monitored.
‘These violations occurred on the former online chat room site Omegle, where users could video chat with randomly selected users.
Omegle was shut down in November 2023 after 14 years, following multiple investigations into child abuse attributed to the site.
“It is a positive step forward that a major online platform is taking responsibility for violations that occur on their site.”
It was recently confirmed that Essex Police’s POLIT team is among the best in the country when it comes to securing charges in connection with online child abuse investigations.