Clacton man jailed for 14 years after admitting online child sexual offences
The court heard how the perpetrator posed as photographer to target victim.
A man from Clacton has been jailed for over 14 years after admitting a series of online child sexual offences, following a joint investigation by Essex Police and West Mercia Police.
Marc Yeomans, 50, formerly of Orchard Place, Clacton-on-Sea, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 17th October 2025 after pleading guilty to 12 offences related to child sexual abuse online. He will also serve an extended five years on licence.
Yeomans contacted a child from the West Midlands on Instagram between August and November 2019, pretending to be a photographer. He offered the child an “opportunity to work as a model for a magazine” and persuaded him to send inappropriate images, including nude photos.
The offences were discovered after the child’s father found messages from Yeomans on his son’s phone and alerted the police. An investigation led by Essex Police’s online unit resulted in the arrest of Yeomans and the seizure of devices from his workplace, car and home.
Yeomans had initially denied all the allegations, but eventually pleaded guilty to 12 offences, including:
- Attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
- Attempting to possess an indecent photograph of a child
- Engaging in sexual communication with a child
- Attempting to cause a child to look at images of sexual activity
- Making indecent photographs of a child
Three other charges were left to lie on file.
Yeomans was sentenced to a total of 14 years and five months behind bars, with an extended licence period of five years. He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders' register for life.
Detective Constable Matthew Wright from the Police Online Investigation Team said: “Yeomans preyed on a vulnerable child by pretending to be a photographer. His father spotted what had happened after being concerned about his son’s behaviour and contacted police.
“Social media is part of all our lives now, it’s worth checking your child’s privacy settings for each app and making sure they do not interact with people they do not know in real life. We have lots of information on our website to help children stay safe online.”