A South Manchester man, Darren Welsby, has been jailed for 23 years after raping and sexually abusing children as young as six over eight years. The National Crime Agency said its investigation found Welsby, 48, from Wythenshawe, also shared videos of the abuse with other paedophiles on dark web forums. Welsby was arrested by NCA officers at Manchester Airport in August 2020, when his phone was seized. Officers later searched his former address in Wythenshawe and seized 58 exhibits, including 10 digital devices holding more than 30,000 indecent images of children dating back to 2005. The material included 4,700 category A images, 4,500 category B images, and 24,000 category C images, along with 18 extreme pornographic images depicting bestiality. Prosecutors said he abused six children in total between 2012 and 2020, including taking indecent photographs without their knowledge and causing some children to engage in sexual activity, which he also captured. The NCA’s inquiry began in 2020 after officers examined three sets of child abuse images uploaded to an INTERPOL database. Investigators also linked Welsby to uploads via TOR, using a username he used across dark and clear web platforms. NCA said the offending was captured by investigators working within the Australian Federal Police and shared through INTERPOL. At Manchester Crown Court, a jury convicted Welsby of all 18 offences after a two-week trial on 10 July. The charges included rape of a girl under 13, causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault by touching, indecent images of children offences, and possession of extreme pornographic images. He was sentenced to 23 years imprisonment on 20 October 2026.