Ex-Royal Navy officer Jonathan Kay jailed for paying to watch ‘depraved’ sexual abuse of Filipino children

Ex-chief petty officer Jonathan Kay, aged 54, of King Henry V Drive, Monmouth, watched as his victims were forced into “depraved” actions on webcams.

The married father-of-two made 190 bank transfers after negotiating fees of between £20 and £40 with their families.

During his trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, Kay claimed he was a paedophile hunter sending the money to stop young children from being sexually exploited.

He said he had written to the National Crime Agency in the UK about his concerns over exploitation abroad.

The jury heard how Kay threw an iPad into a flooded quarry to stop police seeing the contents.

Prosecutor Clare Wilks said: “He was in effect ordering child abuse online.

“Once he had paid his money he would instruct a third party to abuse the child in the way he wanted.

“Every time Kay transferred money to the Philippines it was to watch the abuse of children, some as young as three.”

He signed off some of the online conversations of an emoji with its tongue sticking out.

Jonathan Kay pictured by Gwent Police after his arrest

Kay was found guilty of seven counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence between February 19, 2015 and August 28, 2015.

He was also convicted of possession of an indecent photograph of a child, possession of an extreme pornographic image and doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice.

Matthew Roberts, mitigating, said: “The defendant has a very different side to him.”

His barrister said Kay had an elderly widowed mother and that: “He is all that she has and he provides and looks after he.”

Mr Roberts said the defendant’s family were likely to be made homeless as a result of his incarceration.

His lawyer said that Kay, who was a man of previous good character, had found jail hard to cope with while being remanded in custody following his conviction.

The court heard he had said: “It feels more like a mental institution with the cries of tormented prisoners.”

At Cardiff Crown Court, for the defendant's sentencing, the judge, Recorder John Philpotts, told Kay: “You had served your country in the Royal Navy as a chief petty officer but that veneer of respectability masked your depravity.

“You transferred money to watch the serious sexual abuse of children in the Philippines through the Skype facility

“You acted together with others and there was an international element.”

Kay was jailed nine years and told he must register as a sex offender for life.

Outside the court, Leanne Jonathan, head of the rape and serious sexual offences unit with Crown Prosecution Service Cymru-Wales, said had contacted the prostitutes via the internet.

She said he paid them to perform sex acts on camera involving children, giving them detailed instructions about how to carry out the abuse. 

When police seized Kay’s computer they also discovered an indecent image of a child and extreme pornographic images.

During the investigation, police became aware that he had lied to them about the number of computer devices he had access to and had thrown a computer into a water-filled quarry.

She added: “Although the sexual exploitation was in another country, Jonathan Kay did not evade justice.

“He showed no regard for the children being abused, repeatedly paying to watch sexual acts to satisfy his own sickening fantasies.

“The strong case presented by the CPS allowed the jury to reach these verdicts.”

Outside the court, Police Constable Shane Prosser, Gwent Police’s officer in case, added: “These were very serious offences carried out against young, vulnerable children on the other side of the world and the sentence reflects that. 

“Gwent Police continue to work hard to identify perpetrators such as this, who prey on the most vulnerable and exploit them.

“We are determined to protect them, both in our communities and abroad. Please call us on 101 or direct message us on Facebook or Twitter if you have any concerns. We are here to help.”