Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key Leave this site
We use some essential cookies to make our website work. We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your preferences and understand how you use our site.
You can manage your preferences and cookie settings at any time by clicking on “Customise Cookies” below. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our Cookies notice.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Sorry, there was a technical problem. Please try again.
This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.
A paedophile who distributed indecent images of children and possessed extreme animal pornography has been jailed.
Adrian Harkin, 34, was imprisoned for two years and eight months at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (January 21) after admitting eight offences.
Harkin, formerly of Bath Street, Nottingham, was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and made subject of a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order as part of his sentence.
He was arrested in May 2023 after a woman contacted police to say Harkin had sent her indecent images of children via a dating app.
The court heard the images were unsolicited and that Harkin told the woman he had a sexual interest in children and animals.
Harkin was located and arrested and a number of devices seized. The case was then allocated to a specialist officer on Nottinghamshire Police’s Internet Child Exploitation Team, where the seized devices were reviewed and the extent of Harkin’s offending identified.
Numerous chats were located on Harkin’s phone where he distributed indecent images of children and discussed the graphic sexual abuse of children.
His phone contained over nine hours of indecent videos showing girls as young as four being horrifically abused.
Over 20 different chats were identified where Harkin was distributing images and discussing the abuse of children. He also wrote he was looking for animals to abuse.
Harkin pleaded guilty to a string of offences including:
Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Tom Nuttall, who led the investigation, said:
“Harkin has deep-rooted sexual perversions and I am pleased he is behind bars.
“The material he possessed and shared can only be described as depraved – depicting the most serious sexual offences committed by adults against children and animals.
“People who download and view this kind of material may not believe they are doing any harm, but in reality they are helping to fuel a depraved cycle of abuse that causes immense physical and emotional harm.
“That’s why we dedicate so many resources to ensuring the people who are consuming this material are caught and safeguarding measures swiftly implemented.”