Anthony ‘Danny’ Burns, 39, described as a ‘pupil’ of one of the most dangerous sexual predators investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA), has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for committing dozens of blackmail and online sex offences. Burns worked alongside notorious online child sex offender Abdul Elahi, who was sentenced to 32 years in December 2021 for inflicting sadistic online abuse on 2,000 victims globally.
Between May 2018 and March 2021, Burns utilized ‘sugar daddy’ websites to coerce dozens of unsuspecting females into performing sexual and degrading acts under the threat of blackmail. His criminal activities included targeting a seven-year-old girl in the US, who faced abuse following sustained coercion by Burns.
Elahi played a significant role in ‘tutoring’ Burns on the psychology of blackmail, providing instructions on techniques such as scripted wording to gain victims’ trust. Burns, originally from Lowestoft, employed multiple online personas, posing as the head of a model agency and even pretending to be an NCA officer on occasion.
After gaining victims’ trust, Burns moved them to WhatsApp, using end-to-end encryption to delete read messages from both his and his victims’ phones, erasing visible evidence. Burns ordered victims to film explicit acts, promising payment of £600, which was never fulfilled. Subsequently, he threatened exposure to victims’ families and friends unless they sent increasingly depraved material.
NCA officers arrested Burns in February 2019, seizing his phone and computers for forensic examination. The investigation uncovered the extent of his offending, revealing he blackmailed multiple victims simultaneously.
The FBI collaborated with the NCA in the investigation, helping locate victims in the United States. Most victims resided in England, with others in the Channel Islands and Australia.
Burns faced 46 charges, including blackmail, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, making and distributing indecent images of children, and malicious communications offences. He admitted 41 counts and was found guilty of two after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court. The remaining charges were placed on file.
Burns was sentenced to 24 years in prison, with an additional five on licence, at Birmingham Crown Court on 19 January. He will also be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and lifetime registration on the sex offenders register.
Bethany Raine, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, emphasized that Burns’ conviction sends a clear message that the CPS is committed to bringing offenders who sexually abuse and exploit victims to justice. All 35 of Burns’ victims aged between seven and 54 have been safeguarded.
The NCA urges those pressured or threatened into sending explicit material online to remove themselves from the conversation, not respond further, and report the matter to the police, emphasizing that help is always available.
