Belfast man jailed for 27 years for child sex abuse after officers tipped off by Derbyshire Police
All but one of his 47 victims were children, with the youngest just eight
Last updated 10th Dec 2024
A 55-year-old Belfast man has been jailed for 27 years for sex offences against children, following a tip from Derbyshire Police.
David John Andrews (55) with an address at Maghaberry Prison, had pleaded guilty to 130 offences.
Delivering sentence Judge Geoffrey Miller KC told Andrews, that he would serve a minimum of 13-and-a-half years, after which parole commissioners would determine when he can be released.
Andrews blackmailed his young victims after posing as a teenage boy on social media and coercing them to send nude photographs.
All but one of his 47 victims were children, with the youngest just eight.
A PSNI detective said it was clear that David John Andrews' offending had spanned right across the UK.
Speaking after his sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Jill Duffie said: "On 27th March 2020 the Police Service of Northern Ireland were contacted by Derbyshire Police about reports that a number of underage girls had been groomed online by a man believed to be residing in Northern Ireland using the alias of a 13-year-old boy.
"On the same day, Detectives from our Public Protection Branch identified the home address of 55-year-old David Andrews in Belfast, arrested him and seized a number of electronic devices for forensic examination.
"Andrews was then interviewed and later charged with a number of child sexual abuse offences, and has been remanded in prison ever since."
She added: "Following his initial interview with police, it became clear that David Andrews' offending spanned right across the United Kingdom.
"He used the same behaviour pattern every time to groom young girls via Snapchat and Instagram into believing they were in a relationship with a young boy of a similar age. He would then encourage them to send indecent images of themselves, later using these images to threaten, blackmail and abuse them."