Twenty six victims – mostly boys and all aged between 13 and 16 – were targeted by a Cambridgeshire paedophile and trainee doctor to pose for and perform online sex acts in return for cash. Lorcan Elliott, 25, used social media and gaming platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, Skype and KIK during 2022 and 2023 to ensnare his victims, a court heard.
He would trawl through internet sites where youngsters posted details of their Snapchat accounts, selecting the victims.
He searched mainly for young boys and would add them as contacts.
Elliott enticed them to pose and perform sex acts with the promise of receiving hundreds of pounds – paying more if they co-operated with his demands.
He then took images of the victims and distributed them to other victims suggesting they would receive money if they did the same.
He even showed the children receipts claiming to have paid other victims already.
One of the victims was a young boy with autism who was groomed to carry out a sexual act. He also had images on his phone of children as young as eight.
Elliott registered a new account on Dropbox in a false name in January 2022 while he was living in Cambridge and later uploaded three indecent videos of a child to the internet.
He was arrested in May last year following a police investigation which identified him as now living at an address in Peterborough.
Police carried out a search at the Peterborough home and seized phones and laptops and a gaming tower discovering more than 1,200 indecent images of children, including 142 in the highest category of offending.
Yesterday at Cambridge Crown Court, Elliott, from Orton Southgate, Peterborough, was jailed for four years and eight months.
He pleaded guilty to five counts of making and distributing indecent photographs of children, and eight counts of inciting sexual activity and nine counts of sexual communication.
At his sentencing Judge Philip Grey said Elliott was guilty of “foul online behaviour”.
He told the defendant: “You were on the verge of qualifying as a doctor when these offences were uncovered.
“It is, however, plain that someone who was so demonstrably unable to control their sexual urges towards children could never be considered fit to practise as a doctor.”
Elliott wept as he was sentenced.
Two academics from Cambridge University had earlier provided him with character references.
PC Alex Cochrane said: “The offences were committed over a sustained period with numerous victims here and abroad and it is clear Elliott knew they were children because some were wearing their school uniform.
“Although there was no physical contact between the defendant and the victims, this case highlights the potential dangers of online activity with unknown people.
“As a force we work tirelessly to detect and prosecute these types of crimes while protecting the vulnerable children involved.”
You can read more about our work to tackle child abuse, including how to spot the signs and report concerns, on the force’s dedicated child abuse information webpages
