British predator, 34, who pressured boy 4,500 miles away in the US into raping ... trends now
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An online predator who pressured a boy 4,500 miles away into raping a toddler has been jailed for 18 years - while the teenager he groomed will serve 50 years in the United States.
Twisted Nicholas Hatton, who had a huge stash of child abuse images, took advantage of the boy from the age of 12, Chester Crown Court heard.
The teenager, who had been in contact with Hatton for several years from 2014, told officers that he had been coerced into sexually abusing the two-year-old family member on camera.
As a result of his confession, the boy has since been convicted of rape and sexual assault in America and sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Meanwhile, Hatton, 34, of West Street, Crewe, was handed an 18-year jail term in the UK.
Nicholas Hatton, 34, of Crewe, was sentenced to 18 years for his role in grooming a boy and coercing him to rape a young relative in the United States
The court heard the boy was one of Hatton's four victims. Detectives were able to identify two of them, who were both based in America.
The investigation into Hatton initially began in 2021 when officers from Cheshire Police received intelligence from a social media company in relation to his online activity.
A warrant was carried out at Hatton's home in Crewe where a number of electronic devices were seized and sent for analysis.
During examination of the devices, officers recovered more than 12,000 indecent images of children and 750 indecent videos, as well as 1,050