Nathan Lovell

Nathan Lovell, a 33-year-old man from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, was convicted of multiple child sex offences after a thorough investigation by Cambridgeshire Constabulary. Between January 2021 and June 2023, Lovell sexually abused two young girls, engaging in direct assaults that involved touching them inappropriately. In addition to these hands-on offences, he was deeply involved in online child sexual exploitation, paying nearly £5,000 to adults around the world to abuse children on his behalf.

Police arrested Lovell after discovering a cache of indecent images on his phone, totalling 1,226 category C images or videos, 18 category B, and 14 category A—the most severe classification. Further examination revealed screen recordings of Lovell participating in online conversations where he directed and funded the abuse of children. In one disturbing instance captured on video, Lovell appeared in the front-facing camera while issuing instructions. In another, he promised a puppy as additional payment to an adult for abusing a young girl. Enquiries with social media companies confirmed his payments for child sex abuse material, amounting to £4,800.

Lovell faced 18 charges in total, including four counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13 by touching, three counts of making indecent images or videos of children, and 11 counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13. He pleaded guilty to the three indecent image charges at his initial hearing but denied the remaining 15. Following an eight-day trial at Cambridge Crown Court in December, a jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict on all counts.

On 19 February 2024, at the same court, Judge Mark Bishop sentenced Lovell to 15 years in prison, with an extended four years on licence. The judge highlighted that Lovell posed a significant risk to children and exhibited unpredictability in his future behaviour. Additional measures included a 25-year restraining order barring contact with the two assault victims and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the same duration to monitor potential future offending. Lovell was also required to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

DC Ollie Plant from the force’s Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU) commented on the case, stating: “Our thoughts are with the two young girls targeted by Lovell in the most horrific of ways, and his other victims who were targeted online. We are pleased he has now been brought to justice and hope the sentence gives his victims and their families some closure from this traumatic period in their lives. What Lovell did in paying other adults to abuse children across the world will no doubt be shocking to many. A child is victimised when an indecent image is taken and every time it is viewed or shared.” The investigation underscored Cambridgeshire Constabulary's commitment to protecting children from harm.