Lancashire paedophile jailed after filming himself sexually assaulting child

Jay Hamilton, 38, also secretly filmed children getting undressed and shared them online.

Lancashire Police launched an investigation after the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the force to indecent images being shared via a social media application.

The IP address of the account used to share those indecent images – 21 in total – was traced to a home in Accrington where Hamilton was arrested on November 5.

During the police interview, Hamilton told detectives he was attracted to young girls and said he 'got a thrill' out of sharing indecent material online.

Hamilton, of no fixed address, was charged with sexual assault on a child, voyeurism and making indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty to all charges put to him when he appeared before Blackburn magistrates last month.

He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), limiting his interactions with children.

DC Lee Forshaw, of East CID, said: "Jay Hamilton is a despicable individual who clearly presents a danger to children. To satisfy his own sordid sexual interests, he took it upon it himself to make abhorrent child abuse material which he then shared with other sex offenders.

"Even though he stated in his police interview that he was fully aware his appalling behaviour was wrong, he continued to do it anyway.

"Without the quick actions of the police and our colleagues from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, I am convinced Hamilton would still be continuing to engage in his sordid criminal acts.

"I welcome the sentence handed down by the court. Once Hamilton is released he will be subjected to monitoring and the public will be afforded the further protections of the SHPO and notification requirement."

It is thanks to our loyal readers that we can continue to provide the trusted news, analysis and insight that matters to you.

For unlimited access to our unrivalled local reporting, you can take out a subscription HERE and help support the work of our dedicated team of reporters.