Bristol man jailed after pleading guilty to online child sexual offences

A man has been jailed after sending explicit images of himself to children and requesting indecent images in return.

Leighton Gent, from Bristol, pleaded guilty to 15 online offences and asked for dozens more sexual offences to be taken into consideration.

The 28-year-old was jailed for more than six years at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 14 March.

Gent was arrested at Gent’s home address, in Bedminster, in July 2024 when officers from the Internet Child Abuse Team received information Gent had uploaded indecent images of children to the internet and had engaged in sexual communication with children under 15 years old.

A forensic examination of his electronic devices found Gent had used a number of online platforms to sexually communicate with dozens of children from across the world, despite knowing they were underage, and he was in possession of more than 5,000 indecent images or videos.

Gent pleaded guilty to following offences:

• Four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
• Three counts of making indecent images of children – one count each for categories A to C
• Three counts of distributing indecent images of children – one count each for categories A to C
• Two counts of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act
• One count each of possession of extreme pornographic images; possession of prohibited images of a child; arranging and facilitating commission of a child sexual offence.

Gent also asked for 29 further counts of attempting sexual communication with a child to be taken into consideration.

He was sentenced last week to six years and eight months in prison. He was also make subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

PC Laura Gaby, officer in the case, said: “Leighton Gent is a very dangerous individual, who has repeatedly targeted children, the most vulnerable in society.

“He groomed children online for his own sexual gratification.

“He directed children to engage in sexual activity and exposed them to sexual acts which will undoubtedly have a profound effect on them throughout their lives.

“This has been a complex and challenging investigation, but this demonstrates how seriously we take these matters and our enduring work to bring offenders to justice.”