Eamon Goodfellow

Eamon Goodfellow, a 50-year-old comedian originally from Lurgan in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, who had been residing in St Albans, Hertfordshire, was jailed for attempting to cause the sexual exploitation of young children abroad. Goodfellow was arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers on 14 June 2018, when all his electronic devices were seized for forensic analysis. The investigation uncovered chat logs revealing his communications with facilitators based in the Philippines and Romania, where he actively sought out children under 13 years old and directed them to perform specific sexual acts, intending for the abuse to be live-streamed to him.

According to the NCA, Goodfellow sent payments to these facilitators to carry out the horrific abuse for his own sexual gratification. He was charged with two counts of attempting to cause the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 and section 48(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Following a six-day trial, he was found guilty at St Albans Crown Court on 12 April 2022.

Sentencing occurred on 30 June 2022, where Goodfellow received a custodial term of four years and nine months. In addition, he was made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the sex offenders register for life. NCA investigator Martin Ludlow stated: 'Goodfellow made it very clear that he has sexual interest in young children in these chat logs. He attempted to arrange for the most horrific abuse of vulnerable children thousands of miles away from him for his own gratification.' Ludlow further highlighted the role of financially motivated facilitators as a key threat to the UK, noting the NCA's collaboration with international partners, including the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC), to safeguard children and disrupt such networks.

Prior to his conviction, Goodfellow had a public profile as a comedian, having been a runner-up in the 2019 New Act of the Year Final and performing at the Edinburgh Fringe. Reports from The Daily Mirror detailed instances in his comedy routines where he made inappropriate jokes about child molesters, including references to the Moors murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. This case underscores the NCA's commitment to tackling online child sexual exploitation through global law enforcement partnerships.