Ethan Owen

Ethan Owen, of Amelia Street in Orford, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to distributing and encouraging others to send indecent images of children on Snapchat.

The court heard that between 11 May and 17 May last year, the 23-year-old distributed three category A videos, which feature the most severe forms of abuse such as child rape, and one category C video to other profiles on Snapchat. Owen also encouraged other Snapchat users to send images back to him, which included depraved images of children aged around eight years old.

Between September 2022 and May 2025, Owen made three indecent images of children on his device, one in each category A, B and C. Police officers attended his address to arrest him, but he was not present at the time. Owen was arrested at his place of work and his phone was seized by officers, who examined the device and uncovered his depraved chats.

The court heard that Owen suffers from anxiety and depression and was of previous good character. He was jailed for a total of three years and four months by Mr Recorder Eric Lamb. A sexual harm prevention order was put in place, and Owen must remain on the sex offenders register until further order. Cheshire Police refused a request to issue a mugshot of the defendant.