A 19-year-old Nigerian, Gift Ayoola, has been jailed for four years in the United Kingdom after admitting to sexually exploiting children online, recording the abuse and selling the material to other offenders.
Ayoola was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to causing or inciting children to engage in sexual activity, making and distributing indecent images of children, and possessing extreme pornography.
The court heard that Ayoola used online video calls to direct children to engage in sexual activity and recorded some of the interactions.
Prosecutor John Ryan told the court that Ayoola had communicated with a 12-year-old girl and separately interacted online with children including a girl aged between 11 and 13 and another child aged between two and four.
Ayoola was first arrested at his home in Cardiff in January 2025 after police seized several electronic devices.
The devices contained hundreds of indecent images of children, including 455 Category A images, 401 Category B images and 389 Category C images, according to evidence presented in court.
Investigators also found that Ayoola was involved in Telegram and WhatsApp groups where child sexual abuse material was distributed.
The court heard that offenders contacted Ayoola seeking to buy images and videos. Payments were made through PayPal, while one buyer paid him £5,000.
Ayoola was arrested for a second time on March 5, 2026. Police again found indecent images on his devices, including material involving children as young as four.
During questioning, Ayoola admitted sharing the material and said financial pressure had influenced his actions.
His lawyer, Martha Smith-Higgins, told the court that Ayoola had been of previous good character, lost his mother when he was six and later moved from Nigeria to the UK. She said he was remorseful.
However, Judge Vanessa Francis rejected claims that Ayoola was not sexually attracted to children or that his offending was not sexually motivated.
The judge said the children he exploited were much younger than him and had been particularly vulnerable.
“These were not simply images; they were children whose trust and vulnerability were exploited,” Francis said.
The court imposed a four-year prison sentence and ordered Ayoola to comply with sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.
He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
The case demonstrates the role of digital devices and online messaging platforms in the investigation of child sexual exploitation, with police uncovering extensive evidence from devices seized during the investigation.
