Paedo ex-BBC journo sentenced after paying to observe livestreams of youngsters being sexually abused
Duncan Bartlett, 52, pleaded guilty to 35 offences at Wood Green Crown Court in north London. The Metropolitan Police said detectives seized electronic devices from Bartlett and recovered nearly 6,000 indecent images of children
A paedo ex-BBC journalist who paid to watch livestreams of kids being sexually abused has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Duncan Bartlett, 52, pleaded guilty to 35 offences at Wood Green Crown Court in north London. The Metropolitan Police said detectives seized electronic devices from Bartlett and recovered nearly 6,000 indecent images of children.
They also found evidence he made payments to people in the Philippines who would arrange live films of children being sexually exploited for Bartlett’s sick satisfaction.
Bartlett, who worked as a BBC journalist for 14 years until 2015, was arrested in September 2021.
He spent time as a correspondent in Tokyo and presented “World Business Report” on the BBC World Service.
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He continued to work as a researcher and expert in China at London’s SOAS university until after his guilty plea.
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He appears not to have told his employer about his offending and the university did not discover the details of the case until today.
A spokesperson at the uni said: “Although not a permanent member of staff or in a student-facing role, he was paid as a contractor to produce a series of podcasts about China, producing his last edition in September 2024.
“Neither SOAS nor the SOAS China Institute were aware of any legal proceedings before we were contacted by the media about this case today.”
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