A man has been jailed after he admitted to engaging in online sexual communications with children via the online game Roblox.
Ryan Caine appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 16 October where he was sentenced to five years and four months in prison.
The 23-year-old of Deacon Road, Widnes, had earlier pleaded guilty to six counts of causing a girl to engage in sexual activity, five counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, five counts of causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity, one count of possessing indecent images of children, and three counts of making indecent images of children.
In addition to his prison sentence, Caine was also made subject to a 30-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a 10-year restraining order.
The court heard that Caine’s offending first came to light after he contacted a 12-year-old girl through Roblox and later communicated with her via WhatsApp. During the messages he engaged in sexualised communications with the child and sent her multiple explicit images and videos. He also encouraged her to engage in sexual activity.
Caine was subsequently arrested on 16 April 2025 following a warrant at his home in Widnes where officers recovered two mobile phones.
During an analysis of the devices, officers discovered messages between Caine and five other children, who were all aged between 13 and 16.
Again, within the messages Caine shared indecent images of himself and encouraged them to engage in sexual activity.
Officers also found 86 indecent images of children on his devices, ranging from Category A to Category C.
In his interview, Caine refused to answer any questions put to him by officers.
Despite his silence, he was later charged with the offences.
Detective Constable Luke Chadwick said: “I welcome the sentence handed to Caine, who was left with no choice but to plead guilty to all of the charges as a result of the messages and indecent images that we discovered on his devices.
“He was well aware that his victims were underage, and as a 23-year-old man he knew what he was doing was wrong, but despite this he continued with his deceitful actions.
“Through the use of social media, he specifically targeted young girls, plying them with sexualised messages and indecent images in order to fulfil his own sexual desires.
“Thankfully, as a result of the evidence we gathered, he has now been held accountable for his actions and is facing a significant time behind bars where he can reflect upon his actions.
“I hope this case acts as a reminder for all parents and guardians to warn their children of the dangers of communicating with people via social media, to check that they are using it safely and to keep an eye out for any warning signs of sexual exploitation.”
For advice on identifying signs of sexual exploitation visit https://www.cheshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/caa/child-abuse/child-sexual-exploitation/.
To report any sexual offence call Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or visit www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/v1/rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences . Always call 999 in an emergency.
Information can also be passed anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.
