Image source, NCA Image caption,

Nathan Bake was branded a "serious danger" to children after acting as head moderator of the website

By Andy Gill

North West Tonight

A man who helped run a dark web child abuse site used by nearly 90,000 people around the world has been jailed.

Nathan Bake acted as head moderator for the website known as The Annexe.

Chester Crown Court heard he offered advice to other members on how to avoid being caught.

The 28-year-old, of Harrow Drive in Runcorn, Cheshire, was branded a "serious danger" to children and handed a 16-year sentence after admitting a range of offences.

Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) said The Annexe was "run very much like a business".

Bake was second in command of the site, which had hundreds of links to child sexual abuse images, including some involving babies and toddlers.

The court heard Bake became a senior moderator of the site in December 2020 and was promoted to head moderator from May 2022, until his arrest in November of that year.