Paedophile got boys, nine, to abuse each other

A paedophile who pressured two nine-year-old boys he met online into sexually abusing each other has been jailed for 10 years and four months.

Joshua MacFarlane, 20, also twice met up with a 13-year-old boy and filmed the child performing a sex act upon him, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The mothers of his victims said his actions had been devastating for the children.

MacFarlane, from South Shields, admitted 29 offences including breaching an interim sexual risk order (ISRO) by hiding a vulnerable 16-year-old boy in his home and downloading indecent images of children.

MacFarlane was 18 when he met a nine-year-old boy through his PlayStation and persuaded the child to start messaging him on SnapChat, prosecutor Nicoleta Alistari said.

Between June and November 2023, MacFarlane sexually abused the child online and pressured the boy into sending videos of him performing graphic sex acts on another nine-year-old, the court heard.

Meanwhile, MacFarlane was also messaging a 13-year-old boy he had met on Facebook, Ms Alistari said.

MacFarlane met up with the boy and filmed the youth performing a sex act upon him, then offered the child money to meet up and do it again, the court heard.

MacFarlane also had a stash of indecent images of children on his phone and tablet, the court heard.

Having been arrested and released under investigation, MacFarlane was made subject of an ISRO banning him from having contact with people under 18.

But he breached that within months by having three 16 year old boys round to his home, one of whom he made hide in a cupboard when police called round looking for him, Ms Alistari said.

MacFarlane also had a phone, computer console and memory stick he had not informed police about in violation of his order, with a folder containing more indecent images of children discovered by officers.

In a statement read to the court, the mother of MacFarlane's 13-year-old victim said her son was extremely vulnerable and his behaviour massively deteriorated because of the paedophile's actions.

The mother of one of the nine-year-old boys said she was shocked to find he had been targeted online and her son had become aggressive and more infantile since the abuse.

In mitigation, the court heard MacFarlane had been sexually abused when he was 10 years old and was immature.

Judge Gavin Doig said MacFarlane's offending was of the "utmost seriousness" and there was "no doubt whatsoever those children had been grievously affected".

He said MacFarlane knew he was "in trouble" for messaging children but still breached the ISRO.

MacFarlane posed a "high risk of serious harm" to children and "very high risk of sexual contact offending", the judge said.

Having been deemed a "dangerous offender", MacFarlane will have to serve a further four years on an extended licence upon his eventual release from prison.

MacFarlane must sign the sex offenders register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his contact with children for life.

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