October 2026

Man jailed in landmark conviction for rape and child sexual abuse

A child rapist who filmed his abuse and shared the footage on dark web forums has been jailed for 23 years after a painstaking investigation helped identify him from images of his body.

Darren Welsby, 48, sexually abused six children over eight years, recording offences that included rape and sexual assault before distributing footage to other offenders online.

The evidence he shared helped bring him to justice.

Australian investigators uploaded abuse footage to an INTERPOL database.

Investigators spotted similarities between the offender shown in that material and photographs Welsby had posted on an adult pornography website, including images showing his hands.

An online username linked to accounts across several websites provided another lead.

National Crime Agency officers arrested Welsby at Manchester Airport in August 2020 and seized his phone.

A search of his former home in Wythenshawe uncovered 58 exhibits, including 10 digital devices containing more than 30,000 child sexual abuse images. Some material dated back to 2005.

Among the files were photographs and videos Welsby had produced himself while abusing children.

Investigators recovered approximately 4,700 category A images — the most serious classification — alongside 4,500 category B images, 24,000 category C images and 18 extreme pornographic images involving animals.

With the original recording device no longer available, investigators needed specialist evidence to establish that Welsby was the offender depicted in the abuse material.

The NCA commissioned two experts to examine the evidence. A forensic anthropologist compared images of the offender with photographs of Welsby, including his own photographs and images taken in custody.

The investigation helped bring a case covering abuse committed against six children between 2012 and 2020.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Welsby also secretly photographed his victims and caused some to engage in sexual activity, recording his offending.

Following a two-week trial, a jury convicted him of all 18 offences on July 10.

His convictions included rape of a girl under 13, sexual assault of a girl under 13, causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, child abuse image offences and possession of extreme pornographic images.

On Tuesday, October 20, Welsby was sentenced to 23 years in prison, followed by an extended licence period of five years.