Man shared child abuse images on dating app

A man who sent child abuse images to a woman via a dating app has been jailed.

Adrian Harkin was arrested in May 2023 after the woman went to police over the images and comments he had made about his sexual interests.

Harkin, 34, admitted eight offences, including making and distributing the most serious category A type of images and videos.

He was imprisoned for two years and eight months at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

Officers said that after the woman contacted them, Harkin was located and arrested and a number of devices seized.

Numerous chats were found on his phone, where he distributed indecent images of children and discussed the graphic sexual abuse of children.

His phone contained over nine hours of indecent videos showing girls as young as four being abused, police said.

Over 20 different chats were identified, where Harkin was distributing images and discussing the abuse of children.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children, one of possessing prohibited images of children, one of possessing extreme pornographic images and three of distributing indecent images of children.

Harkin, formerly of Bath Street, Nottingham, was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order as part of his sentence.

Det Cons Tom Nuttall, who led the investigation, said: "Harkin has deep-rooted sexual perversions, and I am pleased he is behind bars."

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