Youth worker jailed over child abuse images after girlfriend reported him to police
A youth worker who downloaded hundreds of vile child sexual abuse images has now been brought to justice at a Sheffield court after his girlfriend went to the police.
Over a 13-month period, whilst he was employed at an adventure playground, Reuben Grant-Whatman downloaded a total of 446 indecent images, showing the sexual abuse of children as young as just eight-years-old.
Some of the images, Sheffield Crown Court heard, also showed the abused children in “pain or distress.”
Grant-Whatman’s offending was exposed, after his partner contacted police and “expressed concerns” about some of the content he was viewing on his phone, prosecutor Ella Fornsworth told a hearing held on November 18, 2025.
Prior to her contact with police, Grant-Whatman’s partner warned him about the content he was viewing, and told him to stop.
In response, Grant-Whatman, aged 35, told his then-girlfriend that “many men like teenage girls because they are the ‘most fertile’.”
“That’s a horrible thing to read in the context of someone facing this type of proceedings,”Judge David Dixon said, as he jailed Grant-Whatman, of Ecclesall Road, Sheffield.
He continued: “You received clear warnings from your partner who said you were going to lose your job because of the conversations you were having and the sort of things she could see you were clearly looking at.”
Despite the warnings, Grant-Whatman continued with his “depraved” crimes, Judge Dixon said.
In total, Grant-Whatman was found possession of 111 indecent images of Category A, the most serious of the legal categories, which involves the penetrative sexual abuse of children, along with 105 indecent images of Category B, and 230 indecent images of Category C.
He pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the three categories of indecent images of children at an earlier hearing.
Ms Fornsworth told the court that analysis of Grant-Whatman’s devices revealed he was storing the child abuse images within an “app locker.”
The court heard how analysis of Grant-Whatman’s devices also revealed he had been sending messages via the Telegram app to other people in search of types of images featuring “young children.”
Grant-Whatman responded to the messages saying he did not have that type of image, but he did have “other things,” the court heard
Judge Dixon asked Ms Fornsworth why prosecutors had not charged Grant-Whatman with distributing indecent images of children, instead of making them, given the communications and evidence recovered from his phone.
Distributing indecent images carries a sentencing range of between two to five years’ imprisonment, whilst making - or downloading - indecent images has a sentencing range of 26 weeks to two years.
Ms Fornsworth replied, saying the Crown Prosecution Service asked police for a “scientific report” into the evidence gathered “within the time period,” but they did not send it and proceeded with the lesser charges.
Also contained within the “locker” was an app in which Grant-Whatman role played as a “headmaster.”
Defending, Christopher Brewin acknowledged that Grant-Whatman was not facing “more serious allegations” and that there are a number of aggravating factors.
He added, however, that no concerns had been raised concerning the defendant’s conduct during his time employed as a youth worker at the adventure playground.
Mr Brewin said that while Grant-Whatman has indulged in some “minimisation” of his offences, he has also sought to address his offending through counselling.
“His father is outside court, and he [Grant-Whatman] knows full well he could be sent to custody today,” Mr Brewin said.
Grant-Whatman did not attend court with a bag to take with him into custody, however.
Sending the defendant to begin a 16-month prison sentence, Judge Dixon said he did not believe the prospect of rehabilitation outweighed the seriousness of Grant-Whatman’s offending.
“I take the view, after careful consideration, that these offences are simply far too serious to consider a suspended sentence,” Judge Dixon said.
He also made Grant-Whatman the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, which will restrict his internet use and ability to delete browsing history, in a bid to stop him from committing further sexual offences.
After the sentence was passed down, Grant-Whatman asked if he could say “bye” to his father, who was present in the public gallery, but he was taken straight into custody.