Telegram app child abuse group member jailed

Bradley Talbot was a moderator for an online group which exploited young girls

A member of a paedophile group which groomed and sexually exploited teenage girls online has been jailed for seven and a half years.

More than 100 girls, aged as young as 12, were abused in the UK and abroad, often being blackmailed into filming themselves performing sexual acts, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.

The group, which operated on the Telegram messaging app and sold sexual material, was exposed by two police officers working under cover, the court was told.

Bradley Talbot, 29, of Portsmouth, pleaded guilty to causing child exploitation, participating in an organised crime group, distributing indecent images, perverting the course of justice and five counts of making indecent images.

Girls as young as 12 were identified and groomed, the court heard

Jodie Mittell KC, prosecuting, said at least a quarter of the known victims were from the UK, but many were never identified.

She said: "Extreme control was exerted over the children so that some of them do not consider themselves to be victims."

One abused girl, aged 14 or 15, even tipped off the group when police came to her parents' house in Scotland to interview her, the barrister said.

Talbot subsequently deleted the Telegram app on his phone and disposed of a hard drive, she added.

About 48,000 sexual images were found on Talbot's devices following a search of his home in August 2024 and his arrest in December, she said.

Graham Gilbert, defending, said his client had withdrawn from the world at the age of 12 or 13 due to family trauma, spending most of his time on a computer in his room.

Judge Daniel Sawyer said Talbot was a moderator for the group and was not involved in identifying or blackmailing girls.

However, he said the defendant had exploited one girl by suggesting she perform a degrading act during a livestream.

The judge imposed a sexual harm prevention order and made Talbot subject to the sexual offenders register indefinitely.