Paedophile jailed for dark web baby abuse videos

The ringleader of dark web groups which shared child sex abuse videos featuring babies has been jailed.

Joao Teixeira, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, admitted being part of an organised crime gang which shared thousands of images of children as young as three months old.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including possession of more than 13,000 banned images of children and facilitating the sexual exploitation of children.

At Lewes Crown Court, he was jailed for 11 years and 4 months.

Judge Stephen Mooney said: "I've never seen a case like this before, and I never want to see one like it again."

The court heard that Teixeira administered groups and sharing platforms for videos of children being abused and raped.

Rebecca Austin, prosecuting, said chat records showed Teixeira was interested in very young children and that he shared artificial intelligence images, as well those of real children.

He also facilitated sex abuse, encouraging others to film themselves raping children, the court heard.

Teixeira was arrested after being identified by the National Crime Agency [NCA] from his telephone number.

Officers raided his home in February 2024 and seized several devices, on which they found 17,005 files of child sex abuse.

Judge Mooney said no sentence he could pass would undo the lifetime of damage Teixeira's offences had caused.

"How you could be so cruel?" the judge said.

NCA investigator Danielle Pownall said: "Teixeira actively sought out online communities where he could indulge in his predatory desires.

"He was trying to conceal his online activities whilst looking for likeminded people to engage in child abuse offences.

"The fact he went beyond the digital world and encouraged another user to abuse children shows the threat he poses."

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