Patrick Lee Howlett, a 58-year-old man from Canterbury, has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for facilitating and encouraging the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines. Between 2015 and 2021, Howlett sent large sums of money, totalling over £55,000 from himself and others, to abusers overseas, directing them to mistreat young children and capture images of the abuse for his sexual gratification.
The case came to light during an investigation by Danish authorities into a convicted paedophile who was sending money abroad via Howlett. Following his arrest in 2021 by the National Crime Agency (NCA), devices seized from Howlett contained over 14,000 indecent images and videos of children, including nearly 1,000 Category A images, the most serious type of child abuse material. Financial records revealed multiple payments to individuals with whom Howlett had graphic conversations about abusing children, including encouraging abusers to target their own family members.
Howlett initially pleaded guilty to ten offences related to making and possessing indecent images of children but denied involvement in child sexual exploitation, claiming the material was unsolicited and that he was sending money to stop financially motivated abuse. However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), through its Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, built a robust case using the volume of images, chat logs, and transaction evidence to disprove his claims. In January 2025, during his trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Howlett pleaded guilty to all remaining charges, including six counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of intentionally encouraging the distribution of indecent images, and two counts of encouraging or assisting such distribution.
Sentencing occurred on 18 July 2025, with Howlett receiving 26 years' imprisonment plus four years on extended licence. The judge imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, barring him from contacting children under 16. Julia McSorley, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, stated: "Patrick Howlett is a prolific paedophile who paid tens of thousands of pounds to encourage others to abuse vulnerable children in the Philippines to satisfy his own desires." Adam Priestley, Unit Head of CSA investigations at the NCA, added: "Patrick Howlett is a dangerous paedophile who has offended for many years, systematically identifying and exploiting vulnerable children." The collaboration between the NCA, CPS, and Philippine authorities ensured the safeguarding of affected children and removal from abusive environments.
This conviction underscores the CPS and NCA's commitment to prosecuting international child sexual exploitation, as highlighted in the CPS news release on cps.gov.uk dated 18 July 2025.