Andrew Weir
Age: 30
Town: Darlington
Convicted: 07/03/2025
Andrew Weir jailed for six and a half years for online child abuse offences
Andrew Weir, a 30-year-old man from Darlington, has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for his role in online sexual abuse of children.
Teesside Crown Court heard that Weir had amassed a "nauseating collection" of child abuse images between 2016 and 2021. He used online threats to coerce a 14-year-old boy, believed to be from Thailand, into performing a sex act on himself and pressured a 13-year-old girl into sending him explicit images.
Weir admitted charges related to the online exchanges with the boy and the collection of images. However, he was convicted at trial earlier this year for his offenses involving the girl, which took place in 2022. He claimed not to be aware of her age.
During sentencing, Judge Tom Mitchell described Weir as an "experienced and fully-fledged sex offender" who used "grooming behavior," "exploitation," and "persistent pressure" to obtain images from his victims.
Weir was given a total prison sentence of 78 months (six-and-a-half years) and made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, restricting his future online activities and forbidding him from communicating with anyone under 18 online. He is also required to register as a sex offender for life and placed on the barring list to prevent him from working with children or vulnerable people.