Reuben Grant-Whatman

Reuben Grant-Whatman, a 35-year-old youth worker employed at an adventure playground in Sheffield, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court for possessing and making indecent images of children. Over a 13-month period, he downloaded a total of 446 such images, including 111 Category A images depicting penetrative sexual abuse of children as young as eight years old, 105 Category B images, and 230 Category C images. Some of the images showed children in pain or distress, highlighting the severity of the material.

Grant-Whatman's offending came to light after his girlfriend grew concerned about the content he was viewing on his phone and contacted South Yorkshire Police. Prior to reporting him, she had warned him to stop, but he dismissed her concerns, stating that 'many men like teenage girls because they are the 'most fertile''. Despite these warnings, he continued his activities, storing the images in an 'app locker' on his devices. Analysis of his phone also revealed messages sent via the Telegram app where he sought images featuring young children from others, though he claimed not to have specific types but offered 'other things'.

Prosecutor Ella Fornsworth detailed the evidence during the hearing on 18 November 2025. The court heard that while communications suggested possible distribution, charges were limited to making (downloading) the images due to issues with obtaining a scientific report from police within the required timeframe. Distributing carries a higher sentencing range of two to five years, compared to 26 weeks to two years for making. Additionally, an app on his device contained role-playing content where Grant-Whatman acted as a 'headmaster'.

Judge David Dixon described the offences as 'depraved' and noted the clear warnings Grant-Whatman had received from his partner about the risk to his job. He stated, 'You received clear warnings from your partner who said you were going to lose your job because of the conversations you were having and the sort of things she could see you were clearly looking at.' Despite no concerns raised about his conduct at work and his efforts in counselling, the judge deemed the offences too serious for a suspended sentence, saying, 'I take the view, after careful consideration, that these offences are simply far too serious to consider a suspended sentence.'

Grant-Whatman pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the possession of indecent images in each category at an earlier hearing. Defending barrister Christopher Brewin acknowledged aggravating factors but highlighted that Grant-Whatman had sought to address his behaviour through counselling and showed some minimisation of his actions. His father was present in court, and after sentencing, Grant-Whatman requested to say goodbye to him before being taken into custody.

The case was reported by The Star on 21 November 2025, based on proceedings at Sheffield Crown Court. South Yorkshire Police were involved in the investigation following the girlfriend's report.