A PAEDOPHILE who used the internet to target children around the world has been jailed for 11 years for a catalogue of offences.
Alex Tindal, 31, of Bridgend, Wales, had over 30 victims across Britain as well as in Germany, the USA and Ireland.
He would encourage his victims, some as young as 10, to engage in sexual activity before blackmailing them into committing further acts.
Tindal's offending came to light following a referral received by South Wales Police from a child in Northern Ireland.
He pleaded guilty to a total of 53 offences and was found guilty of possessing hundreds of indecent images of children.
"Alex Tindal's crimes are of the most sinister and predatory offences seen as most of the victims' families were completely unaware of the abuse being perpetrated," said Detective Constable Martin Charles.
Threats
Tindal, who mostly used Snapchat to commit his offences, caused children as young as 10 years old to engage in sexual activity.
He would then also blackmail them, threatening to disclose the videos and photos publicly.
Tindal managed to manipulate his young victims into sending sexual images and videos of themselves.
He quickly managed to gain their trust before threatening to send the images to their friends and family if they did not continue to submit to his sexual demands.
Tindal was arrested by South Wales Police in September 2022 and was remanded into custody following the referral from Northern Ireland.
The victim reported receiving threats from Tindal after refusing to send him sexual imagery.
Simultaneously, South Wales Police received a report from the National Crime Agency, identifying that child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to the internet at Tindal's former Swansea home.
South Wales Police quickly established the whereabouts of the suspect and arrested Tindal at his home.
Several devices including mobile phones, computers and hard drives were seized at his home and examined, revealing the scale of his offending.
Victims praised
"This is one of the largest cases our team has worked on, and the strength of evidence gathered gave Tindal no other option but to plead guilty," said DC Charles.
"I am thankful for the other police forces across the UK and abroad who supported the investigation as well as our Digital Forensic Unit in identifying victims ensuring we can safeguard them from further harm.
"Most of all, I am grateful for the bravery shown by Tindal's victims across the UK for talking to the police and helping to put him where he belongs beyond harm's way."
