Eastbourne man jailed after running online child abuse chat groups

A man who ran multiple online child abuse chat groups has been jailed following a National Crime Agency investigation. Joao-Carlos Jardim Dos Santos Teixeira, 26, from Eastbourne, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Monday (17 February 2026) after pleading guilty to a series of child sexual abuse offences. The court heard Teixeira had been […]

A man who ran multiple online child abuse chat groups has been jailed following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Joao-Carlos Jardim Dos Santos Teixeira, 26, from Eastbourne, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Monday (17 February 2026) after pleading guilty to a series of child sexual abuse offences.

The court heard Teixeira had been a member of three online groups on various messaging platforms dedicated to sharing and discussing child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated images.

Officers from the National Crime Agency arrested him at his home in February 2024 and seized several electronic devices. An examination of those devices uncovered almost 20,000 indecent and prohibited images of children, including more than 1,000 of the most serious Category A images.

Investigators also found evidence that Teixeira had participated in several “secret chats” where prohibited and pseudo-images were shared, including hyper-realistic AI-generated images classed in the highest severity category.

Further evidence showed he had encouraged another user to engage in sexual activity with a 13-year-old boy.

Teixeira was released on bail following his initial arrest but was detained again in November 2025 after continuing to offend online. He later admitted all charges when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court in December 2025.

He was sentenced on Monday to 11 years and four months in prison.

Sentencing, His Honour Judge Mooney said: “What I ask is how you could be so cruel. No sentence I pass will undo the damage you caused but in passing sentence, there must be a significant degree of deterrence.”

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Danielle Pownall said Teixeira had actively sought out online communities where he could “indulge in his predatory desires”.

“He was trying to conceal his online activities whilst looking for likeminded people to engage in child abuse offences,” she said.

“The fact he went beyond the digital world and encouraged another user to abuse children shows the threat he poses to society.