Publication date:
A 21-year-old man was sentenced at Craigavon Crown Court, Co Armagh, today for online sexual offences involving fourteen female victims, mostly from England, over a period of almost two years.
The judge sentenced Max Hollingsbee, from Lurgan, Co Armagh, to five years and two months, half to be served in prison and half on licence after he pleaded guilty to a total of 42 charges. The charges included blackmail, possessing indecent images of children, distributing indecent images of a child, sexual communication with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and unauthorised access to computer material.
Hollingsbee was aged between 17 and 19 when he used the so-called ‘catfish’ method to groom and coerce teenage girls into sending him indecent images. He would typically befriend his victims on social media platforms including Wizz, Snapchat and Instagram, sometimes using fake profiles. Once he gained their trust he manipulated and threatened his victims into sending him more explicit images. As well as targeting girls under 18, he also targeted one young woman who was over 18 and obtained images of her without permission.
The Head of the PPS Serious Crime Unit Catherine Kierans, who prosecuted the case, said:
“Sexual offences committed against children and young people are among the most heinous we see as prosecutors. Max Hollingsbee used lies and deception to target and groom young victims for his own despicable ends. His offending showed a level of devious sophistication, using a variety of methods to obtain indecent images of his victims and exert control over them.
“Once Hollingsbee had gained their trust using lies and deception, he manipulated, coerced and in some cases blackmailed his victims into sending him explicit images of themselves. He also sometimes hacked into private areas of victims’ social media accounts to obtain indecent images of them. In some cases he threatened he would send the girls’ private images to their contacts, causing great fear and distress.
“We worked closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, who carried out a robust and complex investigation, working with other police services across the UK, to build this case against Hollingsbee and secure the guilty pleas, saving his victims from having to give evidence in court.”
Ms Kierans said this case showed there was no hiding place for abusers.
“Do not underestimate the impact online grooming and abuse can have on young people. It can cause lasting harm, and make it difficult for them to trust people. We work closely with police to pursue and prosecute abusers, whatever methods they use, either offline or online, and wherever they operate.
“To people targeting young people online I would say - no matter how well you think you cover your tracks, these offences often leave a trail of evidence that allows police and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute robustly. You will be held to account for the harm you inflict on your victims,” she said.
Ms Kierans underlined the importance of being vigilant to the dangers posed by predators.
She said: “Young people deserve to be safe online and offline. However, we know that predators will go wherever children and young people are in order to target them. In this case some of the young women bravely raised the alarm about what Hollingsbee was doing. My message to young people is - if someone is demanding sexual images or videos of you, that is a crime and you are not to blame. Abusers thrive on secrecy so break that cycle and speak to a trusted adult.
“We also encourage parents and guardians to talk openly to young people about online safety and ensure they know how best to stay safe online.
“If you are concerned about any activity, whether online or physical, towards a child, or a vulnerable adult, please report it to police. Anyone of any age, gender, ethnicity or sexuality can be a victim of sexual offending. I want to reassure any potential victims, and parents or guardians, that the PSNI and the team in the PPS Serious Crime Unit take these cases extremely seriously and handle them with sensitivity and care.”
Notes to editors:
Hollingsbee pleaded guilty to 28 charges in September 2024 and 14 charges in March 2025.
More information about keeping children and young people safe online can be found on the PSNI website here
PPS decisions are taken in accordance with the Test for Prosecution. You can read more about how we take decisions in the Code for Prosecutors.
Media queries for the PPS should be referred to the Communications Unit by emailing ppspressoffice@ppsni.gov.uk inside office hours. The out of hours press officer can be contacted on 07920 271804, 07920 418844 or 07341 800254.