'Dangerous' paedophile jailed after broadcasting rapes on social media

Aiden Foster, aged 22, was only caught after one of his videos was spotted by American law enforcement on the dark web. The National Crime Agency then used facial recognition to track him down to his Wednesbury home in May.

Foster broke down in tears as Judge Recorder Amy Jacobs sentenced him to 11 years and seven months at Wolverhampton Crown Court today.

She said: "You have caused untold trauma to your victims. I agree with the pre-sentence report which states you are dangerous, predatory and have a high sexual deviancy.

"These offences had been taking place over a period of months. The videos you made found their way onto the dark web, though you did not put them there, you had been sharing them on Telegram."

Sickening details of Foster's crimes were read out in court, with 24 charges in all. Foster's habit of filming himself raping and abusing children led to him pleading guilty after he was shown footage obtained by the NCA.

Foster, from Bassett Road, had been sharing his videos on the social media streaming app Telegram and other group members had shared them on the dark web.

The boy who he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted was too traumatised to discuss the abuse with investigating officers. He did, however, point to "angry" "sad" and "silly" emoji cards.

After NCA officers confronted Foster with videos he pleaded guilty to three counts of rape of a child under 13, seven counts of sexual activity with a child under one, five counts of causing / inciting a child to engage in sexual activity with a child under 13, seven counts of taking indecent images of a child, one count of making indecent images of a child and distributing indecent images of a child.

The National Crime Agency worked with US law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led to Foster being identified.

Recorder Amy Jacobs explained Foster would have to serve the sentences relating to the 10-year-old boy concurrently but it would be consecutive to the charge of abusing the five-year-old.

Recorder Jacobs sentenced him in total to 11 years and seven months, and also gave him an extended licence of four years for when he left prison.

Experts in the NCA’s victim identification team used facial comparison tools to confirm his identity.

His electronic devices were seized and NCA crime scene analysis investigators matched items at his address to those shown in the videos - including his jewellery, a distinctively patterned blanket and boxing trophies.

Officers recovered 771 indecent images of children across categories A-C (A being the most severe) from four of his devices.

They also found an Instagram chat in which Foster requested ‘horny pics of a 14-year-old’ from an unknown person and boasted that he could send videos of someone carrying out a sex act on him.

NCA operations manager Holly Triggs said: “Aiden Foster is a dangerous offender who conducted the most horrific abuse against children.

“Chat logs showed he revelled in the ability to share material online – an act that will no doubt have contributed to the normalisation of such abuse among other paedophiles.

“The NCA is dedicated to combatting this global threat, working tirelessly to protect children and ensure that high harm offenders like Foster are put behind bars.”