Former East Sussex children’s holiday camp manager jailed for child sex abuse offences

The CPS said Cameron Osman, 45, was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment, plus a five-year extended licence, at St Albans Crown Court on Wednesday, November 1.

The defendant, of Southampton, pleaded guilty to all 36 charges which included inciting the sexual exploitation of a child, sexual communication with a child, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and making indecent images of children (IIOC), according to the CPS.

A CPS spokesperson said: “Between September 2020-July 2021 Osman posed as a teenage girl online and targeted numerous boys aged between 12-16 to groom them.

“He supported his fake profiles with images of a teenage girl and would send victims private messages, encouraging them to talk to him via other online media platforms using a webcam and would state that his own camera was broken. Osman would then instruct victims to engage in increasingly sexual activity.

“Many children the defendant talked to believed they were having a real relationship with the online persona Osman had created.

“Until just days before his arrest in September 2021, the defendant was working in Sussex as a children’s holiday camp manager. His devices were seized by police and examination of them revealed chat logs, images and internet history linking Osman to the offences.”

Following his arrest, whilst released on bail, Osman posed as a young adult male online and engaged in similar conversations with a further child, as well as an undercover police officer purporting to be a 14-year-old boy, resulting in his further arrest and he was remand into custody in March 2023, the CPS added.

The CPS said an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed that Osman was talking to more than 300 people worldwide, 76 of which were based in the UK.

NCA operations manager Danielle Pownall said: “His offending affected dozens of children who now have to live with the consequences of his actions. I would like to commend their bravery in coming forward, which has helped put Osman behind bars.”