Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Friday, 7th June 2024, at 13:15hrs
A man has been jailed after forcing girls to record sex acts.
In a social media update, South Yorkshire Police said,
“A Doncaster man who forced two girls to perform sexual acts and film it for him has been jailed for 18 years.
In 2016, Christopher Osborne befriended one his victims, a 15-year-old girl living in the United States, on social media where he sent her violent messages and forced her to send videos of herself to him.
Hours of chat logs showed Osborne, of Melville Avenue, Doncaster, telling his victims he would post the images and videos online and would “ruin their lives” if they didn’t do as he said. The two girls, who both lived in America, bravely reported Osborne to their local police station.
The dedicated work of officers in the Internet Sex Offences Team, assisted by the US authorities, ensured Osborne faced the consequences of his crimes. Enquiries into the incident matched Osborne’s IP address and chat name, leading to his arrest in September 2016.
During his initial interview, Osborne admitted the offences claiming he did not believe the girls were the ages they said. Originally, it was ruled that the 38-year-old was to be tried in the US but in 2021 a hearing ruled that he would be charged in the UK.
In October 2022, despite originally pleading guilty, Osborne prolonged his victims’ suffering as he changed his mind and entered a not guilty plea in front of the victims’ families.
Following a six-day special hearing in February 2024, it was ruled that Osborne’s original guilty pleas would still stand.
On Wednesday (5 June), he was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to 18 years in prison, with an extended licence period of 23 years, after pleading guilty to inciting children to commit sexual acts and blackmail.
Both his victims decided to face their abuser in court to read out their victim impact statements and were commended by the judge for their resilience in sticking with the case for eight years.
Detective Constable Joanne Vaughan, who oversaw the case, said: “I would like to thank the victims in this case for their bravery in facing their abuser and traveling to court from the US twice over two years.
“I hope this result can help them move on with their lives and put this individual’s horrific behaviour behind them. We will continue to pursue sex offenders, no matter where and when they commit their crimes.”
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