Declan Guess

Declan Guess, aged 24, carried out a prolonged campaign of malicious online abuse against a woman, sharing intimate photographs of her that had been taken when she was a teenager across various websites. This abuse, which lasted more than three years, escalated to the point where strangers began arriving at the victim's family home in October 2022, seeking to engage in sexual activity with her, after Guess had advertised her as providing sexual services complete with her name, photos, and address.

The victim, now in her 20s, described the ordeal in her Victim Personal Statement as deeply frightening and vulnerability-inducing. 'Men started turning up at my family home looking for me and I found out this was because my name, my intimate photos and my address had been put online advertising me for sex,' she stated. 'This was frightening and left me feeling very vulnerable. The whole situation has caused me so much stress and upset over the years. I just wanted it to stop. What Declan has done to me has had a very severe impact on my self-esteem and mental health. In many ways it has ruined my life.'

Leicestershire Police launched an investigation following reports from the victim's family. Officers identified Guess as the perpetrator behind the malicious posts. Upon seizing his mobile phone, detectives uncovered not only intimate images of the victim but also more than 500 indecent images of children across his devices, along with images depicting bestiality. Further examination revealed additional evidence of his online offending, leading to his rearrest in June 2025 on stalking charges related to the woman.

In August 2025, the courts issued a Stalking Protection Order prohibiting Guess from any contact with the victim, in person, online, or via third parties. However, he breached this order in September 2025 by following her on Instagram, resulting in his arrest and remand into custody. He was charged with stalking, breach of the stalking protection order, possession of extreme pornographic images, three counts of making indecent images of children, and three counts of distributing indecent images of children (IIOC), including category A, the most serious classification.

The case concluded on 12 February 2026 at Leicester Crown Court, where Guess pleaded guilty on the first day of what was scheduled to be a trial. He was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment. Additionally, he was made subject to a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order, and placed on the sex offenders' register. Investigating officer PC Kate Butler from the Artemis team highlighted the immense impact on the victim, stating, 'The impact these offences have had on the victim are immense. Her whole life was turned upside down.' She noted the complexity of the investigation and urged potential other victims to come forward, emphasising Leicestershire Police's commitment to pursuing such offences.