Austin Jones, a former YouTuber who solicited explicit photos and videos from six underage fans, has been sentenced to ten years behind bars in the US state of Illinois.
In February of this year, the 26-year-old pleaded guilty to child pornography charges, admitting that he had coerced six young women into sending him explicit material, and sought it from 30 others.
In his plea, Jones admitted that he he used apps including Facebook Messenger to contact the six girls, who were aged between 14 and 15, between the years 2010 and 2017.
He told them that he had potential “modelling opportunities” for them and encouraged them to perform sex acts in order to prove that they were his “biggest fan.”
In a sentencing submission to the court last week, prosecutors said that Austin Jones exploited fans and “preyed on their youth, their vulnerabilities and most glaringly, their adoration of him.”
The court also heard that Facebook had actually shut down Jones’ page a month before his arrest, over concerns about his interactions with minors on the site.
The defence, who had sought a minimum sentence of five years, made submissions to the effect that Jones was abused as a child and lived a life “marred with abuse, pain, loss and death.”
