Sulby man jailed after instructing overseas children to carry out sexual acts

33-year-old reported to police by his wife who found explicit content on computer

*This story contains information which some readers may find distressing. 

A Sulby man who instructed children in the Philippines to carry out sexual acts for him over the internet has been jailed.

John Peter Eaton, of Kella Road, was described as ‘appalling’ by the deemster who sentenced him at Douglas Courthouse today (28 September).

He’d previously denied inciting or procuring a child to commit gross indecency and seven offences of creating still and moving indecent images of children.

However he changed his plea on the first day of his trial; his offending took place between February 2013 and October 2021.

Caught out

The court heard Eaton's wife had contacted police after logging on to her husband’s computer to check the unemployed 33-year-old was searching for a job.

When officers searched his devices they found two video recordings, made via Skype, which showed Eaton directing the three Filipino children to carry out sexual acts.

Chat logs showed he was directing what they were doing and had suggested ‘they might go further’.

The children’s mother was also filmed in the recordings and Eaton had viewed the videos on multiple occasions.

Ten indecent images were also recovered - four of which were at Level 4 on the COPINE scale; the system categorises the severity of images of child sex abuse with Level 5 being the most serious.

Eaton had made efforts to cover his tracks including by using an ‘incognito’ web browser – he denied committing the offences and the court was told he was planning to blame his wife for them.

"I hope that he goes to prison"

A victim impact statement written by her, and read to the court by the prosecutor, said she ‘couldn’t believe what she was looking at’ when she opened the device.

Explaining how she’d suffered a ‘breakdown’ as a result she described her struggle to cope over the last two years saying: “This whole incident has completely ruined me.”

Adding that she’d had ‘suicidal ideations’ and almost lost her job she told the court:  “I left work with the intention of driving myself off Marine Drive. It was totally overwhelming. I was a wreck.”

Addressing the defence her now ex-husband had been planning to use she said: “After finding out John was going to try and blame this on me I was so angry. I hope that he goes to prison.”

“I often wonder what happened to the children who he helped to abuse and hope that they are now safe.”

– Ex-wife of John Eaton

Acceptance

Eaton’s advocate told the court: “Nothing can be said on Mr Eaton’s behalf that will justify his actions."

Noting that his client had no previous convictions he added: “It took quite some time for Mr Eaton to accept and come to terms with what he has done.”

Coward

Praising Eaton’s ex-wife for reporting him to the police, Deemster Graeme Cook told her she was ‘very brave’ adding: “It takes courage."

Addressing Eaton in the dock Deemster Cook added: “Your wife needs to be thanked by the public, by the many abused children – she did her public duty.

“You have brought embarrassment, devastation, to your wife and relatives close to you.

“You are a coward – an absolute coward.”

Eaton was jailed for 26 months and placed on the Sex Offenders Register, and under a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, for 10 years.