Cesar Cordero Conejo

Cesar Cordero Conejo, a 39-year-old man from Ilford, has been jailed for 15 years after admitting to a series of child sexual exploitation offences. Between September 2019 and June 2022, Conejo made payments to a child abuse network in the Philippines, providing specific instructions on the sexual abuse he wished to witness. This resulted in the live-streaming and recording of the abuse of four children, aged between two and 14 years old.

Conejo's involvement extended to discussions about travelling to the Philippines to pay for direct access to the children. His digital devices, seized by the National Crime Agency (NCA) upon his arrest on 28 July 2023, contained extensive evidence including chat logs and thousands of indecent images of children (IIOC). He pleaded guilty to 18 charges at Snaresbrook Crown Court, comprising one count of inciting the sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of causing the sexual exploitation of a child, 12 counts of making indecent photographs of children (including Category A, B, and C still and moving images), and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

The sentencing took place on 17 October 2024, where Judge [Name not specified] imposed 15 years' imprisonment, plus an additional two years on extended licence. Conejo also received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be subject to notification requirements as a sex offender. An adult suspected of carrying out the abuse on Conejo's behalf has been arrested and charged in the Philippines, while the four child victims have been rescued by Filipino authorities.

Emma Lile, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), commented: "Cesar Conejo paid an adult to sexually abuse children on his behalf for his own gratification. Child sexual abuse can cause lifelong physical and emotional trauma, and my thoughts go out to the victims in this case who were subjected to some of the most appalling and horrific abuse at the defendant’s direct request." She further emphasised the CPS's commitment: "This case sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside law enforcement, will work hard to bring to justice those who sexually abuse and exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place."

The case was prosecuted by the CPS's Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, part of the Serious Economic and Organised Crime International Directorate (SEOCID). The NCA's investigation was pivotal in uncovering the evidence that linked Conejo to the international child abuse network. This prosecution highlights the evolving challenges of organised crime, including the use of technology to facilitate global exploitation, as noted in CPS resources on SEOCID's role in addressing complex international threats.