Essex Man Jailed for 15 Years Over Horrific Child Abuse Abroad
A 39-year-old man from Ilford, Essex, has been locked up for 15 years after paying to live-stream and direct the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines.
Brutal Abuse Orchestrated From the UK
Cesar Cordero Conejo was caught following an international investigation involving the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Homeland Security in the US. He was identified as a UK-based offender profiting from horrific livestreamed child abuse carried out by a Filipino woman.
Between September 2022 and February 2023, message exchanges were uncovered where Conejo instructed the woman to force children into sexual acts. In a chilling message, when she told him she was about to give birth but couldn’t afford hospital treatment, he coldly replied: “Well good luck ok, hope you have another girl.” He later demanded the kids perform sex acts on each other.
Damning Evidence and Shocking Confessions
- Conejo expressed desires to travel to the Philippines to rape the children himself, offering the woman $100 a day.
- He was arrested in July 2023, and investigators seized multiple devices containing over 12,500 indecent images, including nearly 5,000 in the most severe category.
- Chat history revealed disturbing payments totalling £1,300 sent to Filipino women over six years, many linked to child abuse for financial gain.
- Messages included requests to meet a woman’s daughter, implying grooming intentions.
Impact and Justice Served
Thanks to the investigation, multiple child victims were rescued and safeguarded in the Philippines, including three children aged between five and thirteen. The abuse involved violent acts, including penetration with objects and oral rape; the youngest victim was just two or three years old.
Conejo pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 4 January. On 17 October, he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars, handed a lifelong sex offender registration, and slapped with a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
“This was a horrific case which is shocking on so many levels,” said NCA Operations Manager Jen Cruickshank. “Conejo orchestrated depraved abuse purely for his own sexual pleasure. He is a dangerous high-risk offender who thought distance would protect him. But the NCA’s global reach ensures offenders like him won’t escape justice.”
