Blackmailing kids into sending indecent images.

Derbyshire Man Sentenced for Child Blackmail

A Derbyshire man who used social media to blackmail children as young as 10 into sending him indecent images of themselves has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Grant Derek Giblin, 29, of Willington, Derbyshire, was arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in January 2024 after an investigation revealed he had been contacting children between 10 and 16 years old on social media apps from November 2021 to August 2023.

Giblin would befriend the children to gain their trust and then encourage them to send him explicit images. He would then use these images to blackmail the victims into performing sexual acts, threatening to distribute the images if they didn't comply.

Giblin pleaded guilty to all charges, including engaging in sexual communications with a child under 13 and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, at Derby Crown Court in July 2024. He was sentenced today, Wednesday, October 23.

In addition to the eight-year prison sentence, Giblin will be subject to an extended licence period of a further eight years, an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.