Martial arts boss jailed for sharing child abuse images online
Aron Stacey, 38, from Accrington, Lancashire, has been locked up for three years after pleading guilty to horrendous child sexual abuse offences. The martial arts instructor swapped vile child abuse images and videos with an Israeli man on a photo-sharing website and discussed their depraved acts.
Shocking online exchanges uncovered
Runs Aztec Martial Arts, Stacey was arrested in September 2017. Despite vetting and safeguarding checks at his classes, which included children, no complaints were ever made by students. However, police found indecent images on his laptop and Samsung phone.
Most of the vile material was linked to a Skype account named “aztecmartialarts,” which featured Stacey’s own photo, exposing his dark double life.
Grim court confession
At Preston Crown Court, Stacey admitted:
- Creating 11 category A images – the most serious kind of child abuse content
- Possessing one category B and 27 category C images
- Distributing a category A image
- Having extreme pornography involving animal abuse
- Refusing to hand over his phone passcode
Stacey refused to cooperate fully in interviews and claimed his laptop was second-hand – without providing details. Investigators broke through his phone’s encryption after he repeatedly refused to unlock it.
Experts warn offenders can’t hide behind encryption
NCA Operations Manager Hazel Stewart said: “Offenders cannot hide behind encryption and evade justice. Behind every sexual abuse image is a child whose life has been utterly devastated. Men like Stacey fuel this horrific trade.”
She added alarming stats: UK referrals for child sexual abuse material more than doubled from 43,072 in 2016 to 113,948 in 2018, with around 500 offenders arrested every month.
Anyone worried about child safety is urged to visit Thinkuknow.co.uk, a programme educating youngsters on risks both online and offline.
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation’s Stop It Now! helpline offers confidential advice for those concerned about their or others’ behaviour around children.
