Children's chatroom 'predator' jailed

Oliver James Anglesmith, 37, threatened to harm himself if his victims did not send him naked images

A man who targeted children online and posed as a young person to persuade victims to send him sexual images has been jailed.

Oliver James Anglesmith visited children's chatrooms and used SnapChat to prey on youngsters and threatened to harm himself if they refused his demands.

The 37-year-old was arrested in May 2024 after concerned parents contacted police and a subsequent investigation uncovered several other child victims in various parts of the country.

Anglesmith, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to three counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child and was jailed for four years and four months at York Crown Court on Friday.

He also admitted failing to comply with the notification requirements under the Sex Offenders Register by not registering a mobile phone with the police.

Investigating officer Det Con Steve Monty, of Scarborough's Safeguarding Investigation Team, said: "Anglesmith was particularly manipulative and used emotional blackmail in an attempt to trick the children into sending sexual images of themselves.

"He made up a fictitious emotional story to gain their initial attention and befriend them, then threatened to cause serious harm to himself if they refused to do what he asked.

"He is an online predator who is now rightfully back behind bars."

In police interviews Anglesmith claimed his victims had told him they were 16, but no evidence of that was found, the court heard.

Anglesmith was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Det Con Monty added: "My thanks go to the vigilant parents who reported the abuse of their children and to our Victim Identification Unit who identified victims from all parts of the UK."

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