Miroslava Belakova

A South Yorkshire woman has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for committing serious sexual offences against children, including abuse, production, and distribution of indecent images.

Miroslava Belakova, aged 37, from Greenfoot Lane in Barnsley, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault against a child under 13, making indecent images of children, and distributing indecent images of children. Her offending came to light during a police investigation into drugs offences at the home of her associate, Craig Fearn, in 2018. South Yorkshire Police raided Fearn's address in The Close, Cudworth, Barnsley, initially for a drugs inquiry, but the seizure of mobile devices revealed over 400 Category A and Category B indecent images of children, as well as more than 1,000 Category C images, and extreme pornography.

Further analysis of the devices linked Belakova to the crimes, leading to her arrest on suspicion of child sexual offences. Detective Constable Elinor Duke, who led the investigation, described the case as 'harrowing' due to the volume of images depicting 'horrific' abuse. She stated: 'Indecent images investigations are harrowing for the officers and investigators that work on them, and Fearn had significant quantities of images depicting horrific abuse against children. What’s important to remember is that behind every image and video is an innocent child being harmed against their will, which is truly despicable.' Belakova was identified as having directly assaulted children and produced the images, which she then sent to Fearn.

At Sheffield Crown Court on 21 June 2022, Belakova was jailed for 70 months, equivalent to five years and eight months. She will serve three years on licence upon release and has been handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). DC Duke added: 'While I am pleased that both Fearn and Belakova have admitted their crimes before a court, this does not take away the pain and harm caused to their victims.' The case underscores South Yorkshire Police's commitment to identifying perpetrators and victims in child sexual exploitation cases.