Man sentenced for blackmailing children into sending abuse images

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

National Crime Agency officers arrested 30 year old Grant Derek Giblin who comes from the Derby area after an investigation found he had been using social media apps to contact children between November 2021 and August 2023.

Giblin would target the children, aged between ten and 16, and befriend them to gain their trust and encourage them to send him images of themselves.

Once he had received these, Giblin would blackmail his victims into performing sexual acts on themselves before again sending the content to him. 

He was arrested by NCA officers in January 2024 and charged with offences including engaging in sexual communications with a child under 13 and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Giblin pleaded guilty to all offences at Derby Crown Court in July 2024. He was sentenced to eight years in prison at the same court on 23rd October 2024. Giblin will have an extended licence period of a further eight years, be subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and be on the sex offenders register for life.

NCA operations manager Danielle Pownall said: "Grant Derek Giblin is a depraved offender, preying on vulnerable children online and making them feel as if they had no choice but to send him sexual images. His extensive crimes were committed only for his own sexual gratification, and with no thought to the children he was cruelly exploiting.

"Children are often frightened or embarrassed to report this has happened to them online, but they are not to blame and help and support is available. We encourage victims to report incidents to a trusted adult, the police or via the CEOP Safety Centre."

Call 101 or 999 if there is an immediate risk of harm to your child, or you can use the CEOP Safety Centre to report any online blackmail attempts.

Adults can also support young people in getting their images removed using Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation's Report Remove tool, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Take It Down tool, and reporting to the platform or app it has been shared on. Further information for parents and carers on how they can support their child can be found in the CEOP Education's online blackmail article.