Lincolnshire man sentenced after taking secret images of schoolchildren

A 19-year-old man from Welton has been jailed for 26 months after ‘exploiting opportunities to work with children’ and secretly taking indecent images of them.
Jailed: Lewis Croft.Jailed: Lewis Croft.
Jailed: Lewis Croft.

Lewis Croft, of Cliff Lane, Welton, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court today (Friday November 15), having earlier pleaded guilty to offences under the Protection of Children Act 1978.

He was sentenced to 26 months in prison and given a 10 year sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Superintendent Jon McAdam, Head of the Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit, said: “Lewis Croft has exploited opportunities to work with children and once in a position of trust he has secretly taken images of children at a school.

“He originally came to notice for downloading illegal indecent images of children at his home address.

“He has been sentenced for all of his offending today and part of his sentence will prevent him ever working with children or gaining a position of trust where he has access to children again.”

The charges, which are broken down into category offences, are as follows;

• Making an indecent photograph of a child contrary to section 1(1)(a) of the Protection of Children Act 1978. Between 22 day of September 2018 and 2 July 2019 made 247 indecent photographs of children, all being category A.

• Making an indecent photograph of a child contrary to section 1(1)(a) of the Protection of Children Act 1978. Between 12 day of February 2019 and 2 July 2019 made 145 indecent photographs of children, all being category B.

• Making an indecent photograph of a child contrary to section 1(1)(a) of the Protection of Children Act 1978. Between 4 day of January 2019 and 20 day of July 2019 made 1,115 indecent photographs of children, all being category C.

• Taking an indecent photograph of a child contrary to section 1(1)(a) of the Protection of Children Act 1978. Between 27 November 2018 and 24 July 2019 took 229 individual and group photographs of children, all of Category C, including photographs of the children named.