'Truly appalling' Wakefield man paid for abuse videos of children as young as five
Paypal account helped identify sex offender thousands of miles away with offending “beyond words”
A sickening pervert who paid for videos of children from the Philippines to be abused has been told by a judge that his crimes were “truly appalling”.
Jamie Beckett demanded children as young as five to be abused and raped for as little as £6 a time, Leeds Crown Court.
The vile 37-year-old was caught after those responsible for the abuse were uncovered by investigators in the United States, and Beckett’s Paypal account was found to sent multiple amounts of cash.
He admitted 25 separate sex offences, including facilitating the abuse of children.
Judge Simon Batiste said he had worked for decades in the courts and said he had “become somewhat immune to the horrors”.
But he said that some cases “occasionally” left him “revolted” and added: “This is one such case. It is almost beyond words.
He added: “You clearly revelled in the abuse and the pain caused to the children.”
He deemed Beckett, a telecommunications engineer by profession, to be a serious danger to children, handing him an extended jail sentence of 23 years.
The court heard that in 2022 American Homeland Security identified offenders in the Philippines that had had accepting requests from paedophiles around the world, selling them tailored videos of children being abused.
Beckett involvement was uncovered through his repeated payments and he was arrested in December 2022, prosecutor Eleanor Fry said.
Twelve of his devices were seized and it was found that he had communicated with the woman in the Philippines between 2020 and 2022.
They had swapped more than 9,000 messages made 39 calls and exchanged 356 media files.
Beckett, of Wharncliffe Road, Kettlethorpe, Wakefield, would make specific sickening requests for material and send money in return. The children’s age ranged from five to 15.
Four of the children had since been identified and rescued from further abuse.
Beckett even travelled to the Philippines several times , although it is unknown if he committed any offences.
Mitigating, Michael Collins said there was “remorse, embarrassment and shame” on his part and that he had “lost everything that was dear to him” due to his offending.
He said he had also sought support and help for his behaviour.
Beckett was given a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use, for life. He was also put on the sex offender register for life.
His sentence is made up of a 16-year custodial sentence, with a seven-year extended licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial sentence before being considered for parole.
Speaking after sentence, Danielle Pownall, investigating officer from the National Crime Agency (NCA), said: "This was a long and complex investigation into a depraved individual with a blatant disregard for children.
"Beckett completely dehumanised his victims, paying pitiful amounts of money in exchange for images and videos of extreme child abuse.
"The transactional relationship between Beckett and the facilitator exploited the victims' vulnerability and circumstances.
"With thanks to US law enforcement colleagues and the Philippine National Police, the NCA was able to identify Beckett and bring him to justice.”