York man, 25 jailed for child sex offences

A man has been jailed for a catalogue of offences relating to sexual messages and indecent images involving children.

Adrian Augustyniak, 25, from York, thought he was messaging a 12-year-old girl – and sent ‘her’ disgusting messages and images via an app from August 2022 onwards.

But the profile he had been messaging wasn’t a real girl. The information was passed to North Yorkshire Police, and officers went to his home address. He was arrested, and a number of electronic devices were seized.

On those devices were indecent images and videos of children – some aged as young as three – as well as a so-called ‘paedophile manual’ document.

Augustyniak was charged with making indecent photographs of children, possessing prohibited images of children, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to look at an image of sexual activity, publishing obscene articles, and possessing a paedophile manual.

On 23 September 2024 he pleaded guilty.

At York Crown Court on 6 December 2024, he was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment. He will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) indefinitely, and added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.

‘No regard for the welfare of children’

DC Melanie Gladwell, from North Yorkshire Police, said:

“The investigation uncovered damning evidence of Augustyniak’s disturbing online activities. He had no regard for the welfare of children – his sole concern was his own sexual gratification.

“This case should send a clear message that we will track down anyone involved in downloading indecent images of children, or attempting to engage children in sexual communication online. Such offenders should expect to be brought to justice.”

Compensation for abuse

If you have been a victim of abuse, you may be entitled to claim compensation for the suffering you experienced. Whether the abuse has happened recently or years ago (for example, when you were at school) you may be entitled to make a claim.

What is historic abuse?

Historic abuse is also known as “non-recent abuse” or “non-accidental abuse” and relates to any physical, sexual or emotional attack inflicted on a person. These attacks may have taken place in a single incident or be repeated over some time.

Historic abuse commonly occurs when the attacker holds a position of power over the victim.

How to make a claim?

If you have been a victim of abuse and would like to make a claim, get in touch today. AbuseClaims.co.uk has a team of experienced abuse claims specialists to assist you and talk through your options.

We offer a free initial consultation and operate on a no-win no-fee basis – so you will not pay a penny unless your claim is successful.

How long will my case take?

Generally, a civil claim for abuse or assaults can be concluded within 6-12 months. We will provide you with regular updates as your claim progresses.

Once we have been able to assess your case, we will give you an idea at the outset of the likely timescale.

It will very much depend on what evidence we need to gather, who we are bringing the claim against and also whether the claim can be settled without court proceedings.

Institutional abuse

In some cases, if the historic abuse has occurred within an organisational setting, for example, an after-school club or within a religious setting, this might be referred to as Institutional child sexual abuse.

Some examples of this include the following (however, this list is not exhaustive):

School staff attacking pupils
Young people abused in children’s homes
Football coaches preying on children in their coaching teams
Youth group leaders singling out children (often on trips away from home)
Religious staff attacking children
Doctors or hospital staff

Should I make a claim?

Before deciding whether to pursue a claim, it’s crucial to seek initial legal advice to evaluate the merits of your case. At AbuseClaims.co.uk, we offer a free assessment and are happy to discuss your situation at no cost.

If a solicitor determines that your claim has merit, it’s also important to consider the potential impact on your health. Litigation can be a stressful process that may negatively affect your well-being.

While we cannot provide medical advice, we must inform you that pursuing a claim may bring up traumatic memories of the abuse, which could impact your mental health. Please keep in mind that the primary outcome of a successful claim is financial compensation.

While you may hope for answers through litigation, most cases settle out of court, which could leave some of your questions unresolved. Your doctors may advise that revisiting the trauma could hinder your recovery.

The decision to proceed should be made in consultation with your medical advisors and is entirely up to you. If you choose to move forward with a claim, our team will do everything possible to support you and minimise the stress throughout the process.

Would I have to go to Court?

If the case does not settle, then ultimately the matter would proceed to Court where a Judge would make a determination. Most cases, however, do settle out of Court, so although this is an unlikely eventuality, we cannot rule it out as an impossibility.

If you do have any concerns about this during the process of your claim, then we would be happy to discuss this with you and address any concerns you may have.

Why should I use AbuseClaims.co.uk?

Abuseclaims.co.uk is committed to handling your abuse claim on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ basis. If your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t owe us anything.

If your claim is successful, we will take a percentage of the compensation, meaning we only receive payment when we have achieved a positive outcome for you. We have an experienced team of solicitors and legal professionals who have decades of experience in dealing with abuse claims.