A 21-year-old Lurgan man, Max Hollingsbee, has been sentenced to five years and two months in prison for a campaign of online child sexual abuse and blackmail involving 42 charges.

The sentence was handed down at Craigavon Crown Court. Hollingsbee will serve half of his sentence in custody and half on licence. He will also be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for 10 years and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for the rest of his life.

The investigation began in October 2022 when Surrey Police alerted the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to a report concerning a 15-year-old girl who had been groomed by Hollingsbee, then 18 but residing in Northern Ireland and posing online as a 16-year-old boy.

Urgent investigative work by PSNI Public Protection Branch detectives led to the confirmation of Hollingsbee's home address, his subsequent arrest, and an interview.

A search of his devices uncovered thousands of photos and videos of underage girls, aged between 14 and 16, performing sexual acts. These images were obtained through blackmail or by hacking their social media accounts. Hollingsbee employed numerous fake accounts across platforms like Whiz, Snapchat, and Instagram, using various aliases and sometimes posing as a female to entrap and manipulate his victims.

His modus operandi involved complimenting and flattering victims, persuading them to send indecent images which he would then save. In some cases, Hollingsbee convinced victims to provide login details for their social media accounts, allowing him to download all their images and take control of their accounts. He then used these images to blackmail victims into providing more. Police believe some victims were unaware their images had been compromised, suggesting their accounts were hacked.

To date, police have identified 14 victims, but believe there may be more who have not yet come forward. The investigation also revealed that Hollingsbee advertised the indecent images online via social media, communicating with other child predators not located in Northern Ireland, negotiating payments for the content, and boasting about his extensive collection. After receiving payment, he would then blackmail these individuals by threatening to report them to the police if they did not send more money.

Many of the child victims were too afraid to speak to their parents or guardians about the abuse and were only identified through evidence found on Hollingsbee's devices and the diligent work of investigating officers.

Detective Inspector Chris Fleming from the PSNI's Public Protection Branch said: "We welcome today's sentencing. Hollingsbee is a child predator who was financially benefitting from his exploits and inflicted trauma. We have worked long hours, alongside the Public Prosecution Service, on this case to bring him to justice today and are still working behind the scenes to identify more of his victims."

DI Fleming highlighted the evolving nature of such crimes: "People have an image of a paedophile in their minds, a 'creepy' old man hanging around play parks. The digital world has warped this and parents need to be aware that perpetrators are getting younger and more tech savvy. Not everyone your child speaks to online is who they say they are and they may have a sinister intent."

He added: "Hollingsbee has caused serious and long-lasting harm on what we estimate to be around nine victims and their families. I want to thank those who have come forward so far for being so incredibly brave and assisting our investigations. I am glad his depraved offending has been uncovered and that it has today been taken seriously by our criminal justice system."

The PSNI is appealing to all parents and guardians to be vigilant and monitor their children's online activity. Advice is available on the PSNI website. Anyone with concerns about online or physical activity towards a child, or suspicions about an adult's engagement in illegal activity, should report it to police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.