Isle of Wight businessman paid £5,511 to live-stream child sex abuse from the Philippines
and live on Freeview channel 276
Peter Tomlinson, 63, pleaded guilty to 20 charges relating to child sexual abuse and was sentenced at Newport Crown Court today.
The businessman, who lived on Baring Road, Cowes, had paid £5,511 to live-stream child sexual abuse from the Philippines from 2015 to 2017.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAcross thousands of messages with a female facilitator, Tomlinson repeatedly asked for ‘harder’ abuse footage, sometimes complaining about prices and being disturbed while working.
In January 2018, Tomlinson paid £22 to view a live show he had requested involving a five-year-old child.
When arrested at his home in October 2019, he told police officers: ‘The thing you’re looking for is on my computer...it is my escape from reality – that is all it is.’
His electronic devices contained 47 images that were deemed to be of the most sever category A type, as well as 148 in category B, 353 in category C, and 46 extreme images.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDuring interview with National Crime Agency ( NCA) officers he admitted arranging, directing and paying for live streamed child sexual abuse and possessing indecent images of children.
Tomlinson was responsible for ‘the most heinous abuse of children’, according to NCA operations manager Phil Eccles.
He said: ‘Peter Tomlinson believed he could carry out his sickening offences from the comfort of his own home and get away with it.’
‘Live-streaming sex crimes exploits the vulnerable; he was helped in this case by facilitators whose motive is to make money.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad‘Live-streaming is a key threat to the UK, and one of the main forms of financially-driven offending, for which the Philippines remains a key hub.
‘The NCA does important work with international law enforcement partners in the Philippines to combat these sorts of crimes.
‘Anyone like Tomlinson should know that the NCA and UK police will never give up our pursuit of offenders who commit these horrific crimes.’
Anyone concerned an individual is committing child sexual abuse or is at risk of committing abuse can contact the Stop It Now helpline on 0808 1000 900.