Callum Barness

Callum Barness, a 23-year-old resident of Tilbury in south Essex, was sentenced to three years in prison at Basildon Crown Court for a series of child sex offences. The case came to light following his online interactions with what he believed to be a 14-year-old schoolboy, who was in fact an undercover police officer. Barness had previously appeared at the same court months earlier, where he received a community order for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

In July, Barness sent an online friend request to the decoy account. According to prosecutor Carolyn Gardiner, he initiated explicit conversations, asking the supposed boy, 'You like a daddy?' and stating, 'I’m going to help take your virginity.' He persistently requested naked photographs from the boy and sent graphic sexual images of himself. This activity triggered a police raid on his home on 8 August, during which officers seized his phone and uncovered further evidence of criminal behaviour.

The raid revealed that Barness had been exchanging vile child abuse images with fellow paedophiles via an encrypted messaging app. Police found thumbnails for 39 videos, most depicting 'penetration of children from the age of babies to about ten years old,' as described in court. Indecent photographs involved both boys and girls. In one chat, Barness asked a contact, 'You got any more crime vids?' and in another message to someone named Martin, he inquired, 'You got any younger?' Recorder James Maxwell-Scott described the offences as 'particularly unpleasant' during the hearing.

Additional discoveries included possession of cannabis, breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and sex offender notification requirements. Barness had not disclosed electronic devices or a Revolut bank card to police and was using prohibited apps. Defence barrister Jonathan Rosen highlighted a psychological report noting Barness's history of adverse childhood experiences, trauma, ADHD diagnosis, anxiety, depression, and autism traits. Despite giving full credit for guilty pleas, the judge imposed the minimum sentence of three years' imprisonment.

The case was investigated by Essex Police, with the raid prompted by Barness's online activity from his house of multiple occupancy in St Chads Road, Tilbury. This incident underscores ongoing efforts to combat child sexual exploitation in the region.