A paedophile from Carlton who incited a child in America to engage in sexual activity has been jailed.
Police uncovered evidence of Andrew Scott’s predatory behaviour while examining his devices.
Over 750 indecent images of children were found on phones, a computer and hard drive belonging to Scott.
Among them were screen shots of the then-37-year-old sending messages of a sexual nature to a child over Snapchat.
The victim – a young girl living in the USA – was also encouraged by Scott to engage in sexual activity on the social media app.
Each of the predator’s devices were seized by officers during a visit to his Carlton home on 4 October 2023, where he was also arrested.
The force’s Internet Child Exploitation team then led an extensive investigation that resulted in hundreds of indecent images being uncovered.
These included the screen shots of Scott’s interaction with the child – who police visited and confirmed was an 11-year-old girl living in the state of New York.
The 40-year-old admitted to multiple charges of making indecent images of children, possessing a prohibited image of a child, and possessing extreme pornographic images.
He denied the charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity with a child, however, insisting he thought he’d been talking to a 17-year-old.
Officers never believed this lie though, with their persistence leading to the victim’s true age being discovered, and Scott finally admitting what he’d done last Friday (6 November).
Having changed his plea at the Nottingham Crown Court appearance, Scott, now of HMP Nottingham, was sentenced for his crimes on the spot.
He was jailed for five years and nine months, placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and made the subject of a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
PC Summer Smith, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Our Internet Child Exploitation team never believed Andrew Scott when he claimed to not know the age of his victim.
“In reality, he knew very well how old the young girl he’d been talking to was but still chose to do what he did, all for his own sexual gratification.
“These were the disgusting acts of an online predator and paedophile – as shown by the more than 750 indecent images of children he had saved on his devices.
“Despite his victim living on the other side of the world, that didn’t stop us from getting officers to visit her in the USA, to confirm Scott’s sick offending.
“This was an extensive and painstaking investigation, so it was really pleasing to be able to expose Scott’s depravity and help send him to prison.”
