A former Lib Dem politician has been jailed after having sex with an underage boy and making indecent images of children.
Ryan Langley, 34, of Hessle Road, Hull, admitted causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a teenage boy between January 2019 and April 2021.
He also admitted distributing indecent images of children and three offences of making indecent images of children.
Hull Crown Court heard Langley appeared to “rejoice” when he found out the boy’s real age and instead of being “shocked and appalled” carried on with his crime.
It was “very much a fall from grace” for the former councillor who aspired to win a “frontline” role at Westminster, the court heard.
Dale Brook, prosecuting, said the parents of the teenage boy found sexual messages on his mobile phone and he admitted that he had met some adult men for sex, one of whom was Langley.
They met on a website with the boy telling him he was 16. Langley told the court he thought the lad was 18, but it turned out he was actually 14.
When the boy admitted his real age, Langley told him he was “the youngest” he ever “had” and continued to send messages.
The pair carried on swapping photos and videos with Langley talking about having more sexual contact with the boy. Langley was arrested with his phone and laptops seized by police.
WhatsApp messages revealed highly sexualised messages with males aged over 18, during which Langley acknowledged having had sex with the boy, who he had thought was 16.
Images of the youngster were shared and he boasted of wanting more sexual contact with him before he turned 16.
Langley distributed several photographs and videos of his sexual contact with other boys under the age of 16, including with one aged 15, Hull Live reports.
Detectives found other indecent images of children, including 62 Category A, 44 Category B and 75 Category C.
Ayman Khokhar, mitigating, said Langley had no previous convictions but the offences showed he had betrayed others’ trust.
Mr Khokhar, describing his client as a talented local councillor, said: “He will be living with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life.
“He does not seek anything other than an immediate custodial sentence. He wishes to reflect on what he has done.”
Mr Khokhar added Langley had been paid “very little” as a councillor but did the job because he wanted to help others.
He said: “He has lost what looked like a promising career. He has served his local community for a number of years. Despite mental health difficulties, he threw himself into local politics and had aspirations eventually to go to Westminster.
“He knows that, now, is an impossibility and that he has no future in frontline politics.”
Mr Khokhar continued: “His career is over. He has let himself down and he feels that he has let down those close to him.”
Judge John Thackray KC said Langley initially thought he was having sexual activity with a boy above the legal age of 16 but he found out he was really only 14.
The judge added: “Against that background, rather than being shocked and appalled, you seemed to rejoice in the activity that had taken place and you demonstrated corrupt behaviour and a level of depravity by exchanging sexual images of the child and discussing future sexual activity.”
Langley’s behaviour was made worse by his distribution and possession of indecent images of children. Judge Thackray said: “This has been very much a fall from grace for you.”
He was jailed for three years and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He must also register as a sex offender for life.
Langley stood down from his councillor role at the local elections in May.
