A man from Huddersfield has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for viewing child sexual abuse being streamed on Zoom.
Nigel Coxon, 55, was identified by National Crime Agency investigators as having logged into Zoom to watch pre-recorded abuse material in August 2017.
Coxon joined a break out room where category A and B (A being the most severe) indecent images and videos of children were being streamed by another user, which involved the abuse of boys and girls aged between three and 15.
Coxon posted a number of comments which indicated a sexual interest in young girls.
He was arrested at his home in Somerset Road on 23 October 2017 by NCA officers, who seized his mobile phone. This was found to contain evidence that the Zoom application had been downloaded but had since been deleted.
There was also evidence that Coxon had accessed a website used to check public facing IP addresses to check that his had been anonymised prior to accessing Zoom.
When interviewed, he denied ever using Zoom, claimed that his home Wi-Fi network had been hacked.
He did admit having a sexual interest in girls under 10.
Coxon was charged with four counts of making category A and B indecent images of children and convicted at Leeds Nightingale Court on 7 March this year following a six-day trial. He was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment and made subject of a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order at Leeds Crown Court today (31 May). He will also be placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
NCA operations manager Neil Baxter said: “Nigel Coxon took significant steps in an attempt to remain anonymous and cover up his criminality.
“He also made cynical claims about being hacked, but our investigators were able to prove without question that it was Coxon viewing this material on Zoom and telling complete strangers about his sexual interest in young girls.
“Behind every one of the videos he viewed was a victim of horrific abuse.
“The NCA will never relent in bringing offenders like Coxon to justice, nor protecting children from the worst abusers.”
