Gift Ayoola – Cardiff

A student who directed children to perform sexual acts during online calls and then recorded the footage for distribution and sale to other paedophiles has been jailed.

Gift Ayoola, now 19, targeted children as young as two and was involved in online groups where child sexual abuse material was exchanged.

Cardiff Crown Court heard he also received money in connection with images and videos, including a £5,000 payment from one individual.

When investigators examined Ayoola’s devices, they discovered hundreds of illegal images and videos involving children.

At his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, prosecutor John Ryan described how Ayoola communicated online with a 12-year-old girl and instructed her to expose intimate parts of her body. He also told the child to watch him masturbate.

In a separate case, Ayoola communicated with a girl believed to be aged between 11 and 13 and another child aged between two and four.

During video calls, he gave the older girl explicit instructions to carry out sexual acts on herself and also directed sexual activity involving the younger child.

Ayoola was initially arrested at his Cardiff home in January 2025. Police seized several electronic devices which were subsequently examined for evidence.

Officers discovered 455 Category A images — the most serious classification — including four obtained through recordings involving children. A further 401 Category B images and 389 Category C images were recovered.

Investigators also uncovered extreme pornographic material involving bestiality.

The court heard Ayoola participated in group chats on Telegram and WhatsApp where child sexual abuse images were distributed.

Other offenders approached him seeking to obtain pictures and videos. The prosecution said 877 items were involved in requests to purchase material, with payments made through PayPal. Ayoola also acknowledged receiving £5,000 from one offender.

During police questioning, Ayoola claimed he had been supplied with images he believed depicted people aged between 16 and 18. He admitted sharing and sending material, saying he had acted because of pressure and for financial gain.

Ayoola was arrested for a second time on March 5, 2026, when investigators discovered more child sexual abuse material in his possession, including images involving children as young as four.

The latest material comprised 14 Category A images, 15 Category B images and 22 Category C images.

Ayoola, of Pendyris Street in Riverside, pleaded guilty to offences including making and distributing indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography and causing or inciting children to engage in sexual activity.

The sentencing judge rejected the defence claim that Ayoola was not sexually attracted to children and that his offending had not been sexually motivated.

He was sentenced to four years in prison.

Ayoola will also be subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting 10 years.