A WOMAN has been jailed for live-streaming the sexual abuse of a child.

Christine Callaghan, 33, of Bexhill, was paid £2,285 to stream footage of herself sexually abusing a young girl for almost three years.

She has been jailed for six years, given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and put on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Callaghan used Skype to send fellow child sex offender Dean Petley, 30, the “harrowing” abuse footage.

Petley was linked to Callaghan after evidence was found on an encrypted hard drive at his home.

It contained screenshots of conversations with Callaghan over two years along with full facial images of her abusing the victim.

Callaghan discussed with Petley what she would do for money and he instructed her how to abuse the victim.

The hard drive also contained a video of Callaghan abusing the young girl.

Screenshots showed that on at least ten different dates over three years from 2016 to 2018 she performed penetrative sexual activity in front of the victim.

She admitted distributing category A – the most serious – live streamed videos

She also admitted distributing a category B indecent live-streamed video.

And she admitted two counts of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Matt Hall, The National Crime Agency (NCA) operations manager, said they were “horrendous crimes” that Callaghan “carried out for money”.

The NCA caught Callaghan, and Petley, of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, after investigating Jodie Little.

Little, 30, was jailed for 12 years and four months in August this year for sexually abusing children online.

In July 2018, the NCA became aware of Little sexually abusing children under the online names “Devil Bitch 666” and “DomTabooSlut” on an adult services website from her home in northern Cyprus.

Little’s investigation generated new leads. and in October last year the NCA arrested Petley, an automotive engineer, after identifying him as one of Little’s customers.

Mr Hall added: “Callaghan and Petley’s prosecutions were possible because of our determination to ensure Jodie Little faced justice.

“Little might have been abroad but distance is not a barrier for the NCA in pursuing UK child sex offenders wherever they are.

“These crimes are an example of what the NCA is seeing more and more, with increasingly worsening cyber-enabled child sexual offending.

“The NCA knows that

the scale and severity of offending against children are worsening.

“We and UK police arrest around 500 child sex offenders a month and safeguard about 700 children a month.

“There is no greater

priority for us than protecting children.”

If you are concerned a

crime has been committed against a child contact your local police.

For advice on child safety visit Thinkuknow.co.uk