Registered sex offender who ran off from Northamptonshire home jailed for thousands of indecent images of children
A registered sex offender, who ran off from his approved address in Northamptonshire, has been jailed for making and distributing thousands of indecent images of children.
John Carver, of no fixed abode, appeared at King's Lynn Crown Court on Friday July 18 for sentencing, after he pleaded guilty to eight counts of distributing indecent images of a child, two counts of making indecent images of a child and seven counts of blackmail. He also admitted failing to comply with Sex Offender Register notification requirements.
The 38-year-old disappeared from the approved premises in Northamptonshire where he was supposed to be staying in January last year.
According to police, he spent the next year moving from hotel to hotel usually only staying in each one for a day or two, using different alias to avoid detection. To fund this lifestyle he sold incident images of children on the internet using various social media and storage platforms.
On January 8, 2025 intelligence showed Carver was on a bus to Norwich. Police were at Norwich Bus Station when he arrived and arrested him.
Carver's mobile phone showed he had joined multiple groups online, offering photographs of very young children and babies. He had set up a large number online payment accounts through which he had received thousands of pounds for the indecent material. In some cases he also blackmailed buyers, asking them for money or he would report them to police, according to Norfolk Police.
Following sentencing, Detective Constable Aaron Alley said: "Carver is an extremely dangerous individual who demonstrated a chilling disregard for the children depicted in the images he was sharing.
“He believed he could evade justice. But thanks to the tireless work of officers he was left with no choice but to plead guilty after a catalogue of evidence was gathered against him.
“Every single indecent image and video shared online represents a real child somewhere in the world enduring unimaginable abuse.”
Carver was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment and a further four and a half years on extended licence. He remains on the Sex Offenders Register for life and his Sexual Harm Prevention Order remains indefinite.