Former East Sussex youth camp manager jailed for child sex offences

A former children's holiday camp manager who posed online as a "sexually excited" teenage girl in order to groom boys has been jailed for 13 years.

Cameron Osman, 45, from Southampton, told victims they were his "sex toys" and should film themselves performing indecent acts, St Albans Crown Court heard.

He previously pleaded guilty to 36 sexual offences.

Judge Michael Roques said Osman "ruined young lives".

The judge said some of the boys had suffered "severe psychological harm", including one trying to take his own life.

His victims lived in locations including Greater London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Belfast, Luton, Portsmouth, Oxford, Chatham, Norwich, Braintree, Hull, Plymouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Kettering, Slough and Worcester, police said.

Osman was initially arrested in 2021 shortly after resigning from his job at PGL's Windmill Hill adventure centre, near Herstmonceux in East Sussex.

Police said they found no evidence of the defendant grooming children at the activity centre.

He continued to abuse boys online despite his arrests in 2021 and 2022, and only stopped after chatting online to an undercover police officer in 2023, the court heard.

The defendant, who used the online aliases LizzieLemon and later Finn, gained boys' trust before inviting them to dress up and abuse themselves, the court heard.

The judge told Osman: "You have left a trail of destruction, with young lives ruined, for your sexual gratification.

"You left children's education in tatters. The children's sexual experiences will forever be tainted by the abuse you have perpetrated."

In victim impact statements read out in court, one boy's mother said she had watched her son "crumble" after the abuse emerged.

"I could feel the shame and anger oozing out of his pores," her statement said.

Another mother said she was terrified that Osman had passed her son's details to other perpetrators who might visit her house.

Osman, of Coniston Road, Southampton, contacted boys from more than 25 countries, including at least 76 in the UK, the court heard.

He suggested meeting his victims in person but the plans never materialised, the judge was told.

The defendant pleaded guilty to charges including causing or inciting children to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual communication, inciting sexual exploitation and possessing indecent images.

The judge said Osman would serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in custody as well as an additional five years on licence.

In a statement, PGL said: "We are appalled and disgusted by the behaviour of this former employee.

"Despite the fact that these activities took place solely online, and reassurance from the National Crime Agency that none of these charges involved our guests, we are sickened by these actions and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

"At PGL we have stringent safeguarding checks for all employees, including enhanced DBS clearance before and during employment."

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