Toni Andrews

A woman from Hull has been jailed after admitting to taking indecent photographs of a child and sending them to her boyfriend as part of a disturbing case involving child sexual abuse material.

Toni Andrews, 23, was investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) following the conviction of her then-boyfriend, Thomas Edeson, 24, who was sentenced to two years' imprisonment in August 2021 for sexually assaulting a young girl and taking indecent images of her. The NCA's probe into Edeson began in May 2021 after a referral from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which had been alerted by Google to his attempt to upload child sexual abuse images online.

Upon examining Edeson's electronic devices, officers discovered sexual images of a child that appeared to have been taken by Andrews and sent to him. Andrews was arrested in December 2021. During her interview, she admitted to taking and sending one of the photos to Edeson but denied knowledge of his sexual interest in children.

Further examination of Andrews' devices, seized from her home, revealed almost 100 indecent images of children in categories A-C, over 500 prohibited images of children, and over 200 images showing extreme pornography. As part of the investigation, Edeson was interviewed while in prison and confirmed that Andrews had supplied him with sexual images of a child as well as children's underwear, which was recovered from his home.

At Hull Crown Court on 22 November 2023, Andrews, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to seven charges, including taking indecent photographs of a child, possession of indecent images of children, and possession of extreme pornography. She was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for ten years.

Holly Triggs, NCA senior investigating officer, stated: 'Andrews violated the privacy and innocence of a young girl to service her boyfriend’s sexual interest in children. The demand for images and videos of this nature in the UK remains appallingly high, and referrals from organisations like NCMEC are vital to identify offenders. We at the NCA are committed to protecting children from horrific abuse and putting perpetrators before the courts to face justice.' This case underscores the NCA's ongoing efforts to combat the distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material in the UK.