A British national, Gavin Collins, 42, is facing extradition to the United States on charges of conspiring with a U.S.-based child care worker to obtain indecent images of at least five toddlers. Collins, who is already in custody in the UK, is accused of obtaining child pornography from the nursery worker over a two-month period in early 2019.
The international arrest warrant alleges that between approximately January 1, 2019, and February 28, 2019, Collins, a registered sex offender, collaborated with a U.S. child day care worker to produce and transmit child pornography over the internet. Authorities also allege that Collins groomed a 16-year-old in Virginia to send him self-produced indecent images.
Collins was previously arrested in the UK after breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). He was found with 92 indecent images of children on his devices and was also found to be in breach of his SHPO by using a messaging application that auto-deletes content. In October 2024, he was jailed for 30 months at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession and creation of indecent images, as well as two breaches of his SHPO.
Sex offender prevention orders are designed to impose strict conditions on individuals to monitor them and prevent reoffending. Officers from Cheshire Police's Sex Offenders Management Unit discovered evidence of Collins' reoffending during routine checks.
Detective Sergeant Keith Campbell of Cheshire Constabulary stated that Collins has demonstrated a high risk to the community and lacks remorse. "He thought he could go on to offend without disruption, but thankfully our officers were able to intervene and put him behind bars," Campbell said. "It is important to note that these crimes are not victimless, and I hope this result shows we remain steadfast in pursuing and bringing to justice those who engage in online child sexual exploitation."
While incarcerated in the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) was alerted to the U.S. warrant, leading to Collins' arrest for extradition. He is contesting the extradition, and a three-day hearing is scheduled to begin on November 30.
The alleged offending bears resemblance to the case of Vanessa George, a British nursery worker who pleaded guilty in 2009 to producing 124 indecent images of children and assaulting seven children. She was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term with a minimum of seven years and was released in 2019. Fellow paedophile Colin Blanchard, who received a similar sentence, remains in prison.