'Dangerous' man jailed for abusing children online

Andrew Thorne was described by police as a "very dangerous individual"

A 51-year-old man jailed for 24 years after admitting child sex abuse offences has been called a "very dangerous individual" by police.

Andrew Thorne, from Bristol, used online platforms to message children aged between six and 16 to ask them to engage in sexual activity on camera, with an investigation finding there were 182 victims.

Police found he had downloaded hundreds of sexual abuse images, some showing children as young as 18 months old, and recorded himself upskirting more than 200 women and children in public.

Thorne was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order during sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on 25 October.

He will serve a minimum of 18 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

The judge said the court "had not seen a case like this" and the "sheer number of victims was more than the court had ever seen".

Thorne was arrested on 10 August 2023 and the scale of his offending came to light when police seized his electronic devices.

'Repeatedly targeted children'

Investigating officer Lucy Hartill said: “Thorne is a very dangerous individual who has repeatedly targeted children, the most vulnerable in society, both online and offline.

“He has directed children to engage in harmful sexual behaviour which will undoubtedly have a profound effect on them for the rest of their lives, all for his own selfish desires.

“This has been a difficult and complex investigation, but the sentence demonstrates how seriously we take these matters and our enduring work to bring offenders such as this to justice.”