A 21-year-old Newhaven man has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for multiple child sex offences.
At Lewes Crown Court on Monday (17 August), Samuel Carragher, of Acacia Road, pleaded guilty to 33 counts .
They included causing or inciting a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity, causing or inciting a child to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, paying for sexual services of a child, sexual communication with a child, threaten to share a photograph or film of a person in an intimate state, threatening to share intimate photographs or film, causing a child to watch a sexual act, sending a photograph or film of genitals, distributing indecent photographs of a child and making indecent photographs of children.
Carragher’s crimes took place between 2022 and 2025 and involved 14 girls aged between 12 and 15.
An investigation was launched in June 2025, after Sussex Police were alerted to suspicious online activity. He was arrested on 26 June 2025, and a number of devices were seized from his address.
These revealed a myriad of online child sexual exploitation against numerous young girls around the country. Many of the offences involved instructing and inciting the children to engage in sexual acts, and offering payment for the images. Carragher then distributed these images to other children and to other adult men.
Carragher was sentenced to 10 years and six months in custody, plus a three-year extended licence period.
Detective Constable Ana Wellfare, from the Online Child Abuse Team, said: “Carragher’s actions were appalling and involved a large number of children. The impact his behaviour had on his young victims cannot be underestimated.
“Such crimes cause lasting harm and have no place in our society.
“Carragher will now spend a significant period behind bars, where he can no longer pose any threat to children or the wider public.
“We take all reports of abuse extremely seriously. If you believe you may be a victim, or know someone who might be, please come forward. We will listen, and we will support you.”
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