Salford man jailed after police find 15,000 child abuse images

A man from Salford has been jailed after he was found in possession of almost 15,000 child abuse images.

Carlos Calcano (DOB 09/10/1991), of Colman Gardens, Salford, pleaded guilty to 23 charges, including sexual communication with a number of children, causing children to watch sexual acts and inciting children to engage in sexual acts.

Along with the charges relating to the child abuse images on his devices, he was also charged with further offences of distributing images.

Calcano, who is from the Dominican Republic but has lived in the UK for a number of years, was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison when he appeared at Manchester Crown Court on 9 April 2021.

That sentence was reviewed at Manchester Crown Court on 20 April 2021 and reduced by four months because of time spent under police observation while on bail.

An investigation by GMP's Sexual Crime Unit led officers to Calcano's home address where a number of computer devices were seized.

Examinations of his devices found a large amount of child sexual abuse images - 2,095 category A images, 1,210 category B images and 11,687 category C images.

Category A images are the most explicit and involve penetrative sexual activity, while category C images include sexualised images of a child.

Detective Constable Ceri Martin, of GMP's Sexual Crime Unit, said: "GMP officers viewed a vast amount of material in this case.

"These images included some of the most extreme images viewed by law enforcement.

"Screen recording of his offending was uncovered and officers had to review over 48,000 of these recordings.

"The examination of his devices also exposed that at the time of viewing some of the most extreme child abuse images he was also communicating with young children and inciting children to commit sexual acts.

"Greater Manchester Police Sexual Crime Unit targets those who are in possession of child sexual abuse images and are committed to catching these individuals and bringing them to justice.

"We work tirelessly with worldwide law enforcement developing and learning new tactics on a daily basis in a bid to tackle this depraved offending."

Help for victims

Greater Manchester is nationally recognised as a model of good practice in terms of support services available to victims.

If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police, or a support agency so you can get the help and support available.

- Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Manchester provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated response to men, women and children who live or have been sexually assaulted within Greater Manchester. They offer forensic medical examinations, practical and emotional support as well as a counselling service for all ages. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and can be accessed by calling 0161 276 6515.

- Greater Manchester Rape Crisis is a confidential information, support and counselling service run by women for women over 18 who have been raped or sexually abused at any time in their lives. Call on 0161 273 4500 or email [email protected]

- Survivors Manchester provides specialist trauma informed support to boys and men in Greater Manchester who have experienced sexual abuse, rape or sexual exploitation. Call 0161 236 2182.