British serial paedophile faces extradition to America for 'persuading US nursery worker to send him indecent images of five toddlers'

By JON AUSTIN and RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT Published: 09:48, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 09:56, 14 July 2026 A British serial paedophile faces extradition to the US for allegedly conspiring with an American nursery worker to send him indecent images of children in her care.  Gavin Collins, 42, is accused of obtaining child pornography of at least five toddlers from the nursery worker over a two month period, the Daily Mail can reveal.  The alleged offending echoes the case of twisted Vanessa George, 56, who pleaded guilty in 2009 to producing 124 indecent images of children at a nursery in Plymouth before sharing them with fellow paedophile Colin Blanchard.  George - who also carried out seven sexual assaults - received an indeterminate prison sentence with a minimum term of seven years and was released in 2019. Blanchard, 55, who also received an indeterminate sentence, remains in prison. Earlier this month, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard that Collins was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) extradition unit while he was in custody in the UK after breaching the terms of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). The international arrest warrant states that 'between approximately January 1, 2019, and February 28, 2019, Collins, a registered sex offender, conspired with a US-based offender, a child day care worker, to produce child pornography of at least five toddlers in her care and send the child pornography to [him] over the Internet'.   Gavin Collins, 42, is accused of obtaining child pornography of at least five toddlers from the nursery worker over a two month period Collins is also alleged to have groomed a 16-year-old living in Virginia to send him self-produced indecent images.  The paedophile was made the subject of a SHPO on June 13, 2019 at Croydon Crown Court. He was sentenced to three years in prison for online child sex offences. After his release, Collins' SHPO was managed by the Met Police while he lived in a flat in Penge High Street just 150 yards from a primary school and nursery. In 2024, he moved to Cheshire, where his adherence to the SHPO was managed by the local force. On October 8 that year, he was arrested after being found with indecent images on his device. A month later, he was jailed for 30 months at Chester Crown Court.  Collins had previously pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images of children, two counts of making indecent images of children, and two breaches of a SHPO imposed on him following earlier similar offending. SHPOs are designed to set strict conditions so police can monitor the subjects to prevent reoffending. Officers from Cheshire Police's Sex Offenders Management Unit visited his previous home address in Northwich on April 16, 2024 as part of routine checks to monitor registered sex offenders. Risk management software alerted officers to a number of concerning searches and posts, indicating that he had been reoffending. The case has echoes of twisted nursery worker Vanessa George, 56, who pleaded guilty in 2009 of producing 124 indecent images of children at Little Ted's nursery in Plymouth George - who also carried out seven sexual assaults - sent the images to fellow paedophile Colin Blanchard   He was immediately arrested on suspicion of possessing of indecent images of children and his devices were sent for forensic examination. The seized devices were found to contain 92 indecent images of children - 91 category C images, and one category A image, the worst kind. He was also found to have been in breach of his SHPO by using a messaging app that destroys messages and images after 14 days. Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Keith Campbell said: 'Collins has repeatedly demonstrated the high risk he poses to the local community, and he shows a complete lack of remorse. 'He thought he could go on to offend without disruption, but thankfully our officers were able to intervene and put him behind bars. 'The work of Cheshire Constabulary's Sex Offenders Management Unit is paramount to ensuring sexual predators like Collins face the consequences of their heinous and despicable crimes. 'It is important to note that these crimes are not victimless, and I hope this result shows we remain steadfast in pursuing and bringing to justice those who engage in online child sexual exploitation and play a part in the sexual abuse of children in Cheshire and beyond.' While in prison, the NCA was alerted to his wanted status in the US and he was arrested under the international warrant. Collins is contesting extradition to the US and the case has been adjourned for a full three-day hearing from November 30.