A British man who pressured a teenager in America into raping a toddler has been jailed for 18 years.
Chester Crown Court heard how Nicholas Hatton, 34, took advantage of the teenager since he was 12.
The teen told officers he had been coerced into sexually abusing the two-year-old family member on camera and has been jailed for 50 years.
He was one of Hatton’s four victims – and detectives have identified two others who also live in America.
Cheshire Police first received intelligence about Hatton’s activities from a social media company in 2021.
Electronic devices were seized from his home in Crewe, Cheshire, and sent off for analysis.
More than 12,000 indecent images of children, 1,050 prohibited images and 750 indecent videos were found.
He was rearrested in 2022 and denied all knowledge of the images of the children.
Hatton was released on conditional bail but officers then identified the two US-based victims.
He was charged with six counts of causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity; two counts of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child aged 13 to 17 and one count of possession of indecent images of children and later pleaded guilty to all offences.
Hatton also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of taking indecent images of children and one count of possession of prohibited images of children.
Detective Constable Faye Taylor said after sentencing: ‘This has been a complex and lengthy investigation which ultimately uncovered Hatton’s despicable behaviour.
‘It was apparent throughout the investigation that Hatton is a sexual predator who preyed on vulnerable young boys and had no regard for the effects his actions would have on the victims or their families.
‘Due to the grooming that he suffered as a child, one of Hatton’s victim in America has been handed a lengthy prison sentence, while his family member suffered sustained sexual abuse.
‘While none of the victims will ever be able to forget what happened to them, I hope that Hatton’s conviction and the sentence handed to him will provide them with some closure.
‘I also hope that Hatton’s conviction will act as a reminder that there are no borders when it comes to sexual abuse, it can happen anywhere at any time and the impact can be lifechanging.’
Hatton was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.
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