Morgan Payne sentenced to 12 months for indecent images of children

Morgan Payne, 24-years-old from Ansley Common in Nuneaton, has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for offences related to indecent images of children.

He is also required to pay a victim’s surcharge of £149 and will remain on a sex offenders register for a period of 10 years.

Payne was arrested at his home on 30 November 2021, following four separate referrals relating to accounts associated with Payne on a popular temporary photo sharing social media service.

Following a search of his bedroom, two mobile phones and a laptop were recovered.

Initial triage of the phone identified three category A images in a social media app.

A Category B video was also found of a call between Payne and a young boy on an online randomised video chat room service.

Payne had coerced the child into performing sexual acts on camera, which he then recorded. 

Across the devices, a total of 107 Category A, 96 Category B, and 129 Category C images were discovered.

An explanation of the categories for indecent images can be found on the Crown Prosecution Service’s website: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/indecent-and-prohibited-images-children

Payne, on being confronted with the count of images, said he wasn’t surprised images were found but he was surprised by the amount.

Payne also described falling in with an online circle of weird groups of people who look for and sell images of children, a circle which he described as difficult to get out of.

He was sentenced to 12 months in total for taking indecent images of a child, and for making indecent images of a child.

Detective Sergeant Moorman said “Mr Payne handled, produced, and distributed indecent images of children, but tried to present himself in interview as a victim of circumstance.

“This kind of activity is not accidental; it is a choice, and a poor choice at that.

“We hope that 12 months will give Mr Payne sufficient time to properly consider the ramifications of his actions and the harms he has perpetuated.”