A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a 22-month-old baby and sharing some of the heinous acts on a Skype livestream, federal and state authorities have announced.
The convicted child porn producer, 32-year-old David James Allison of Bluffton, confessed to sexually assaulting the toddler at least five times between September and December of 2019, the DOJ said in a release.
On January 4, 2020, a family member came across messages between Allison and another man – identified by the DOJ as Andrew McPherson-Young, 52, of West Sussex, United Kingdom – detailing the sexual acts Allison carried out on the toddler, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in South Carolina said in a press release. After confronting Allison about the messages, the woman alerted the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office to her discovery.
Citing the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report, WJCL reported that the woman was Allison’s wife, although the DOJ and solicitor’s office did not identify her relation to Allison other than being a relative. It is unclear if Allison was related to the toddler, who has not been identified by name or sex.
Federal investigators traced the Skype communications to an IP address in Littlehampton in West Sussex, U.K., leading to an investigation by Sussex Police, according to the DOJ. They identified McPherson-Young as a subject in the case. He admitted to instructing Allison on how to sexually assault the toddler, all while watching the revolting acts over Skype, the DOJ said. McPherson-Young is being prosecuted in the U.K.
In July of last year, with a trial in the Beaufort County General Sessions Court just days away, Allison “pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four charges of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor,” the solicitor’s office said. He also pleaded guilty to federal charges.
The sentences from both the state and federal governments came down Wednesday.
“Allison received a 30-year sentence for the state criminal sexual conduct charge and 20 years on each of the sexual exploitation of a minor charges from Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen,” the solicitor’s office said. United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Allison to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of court-ordered supervision following the prison term.
Allison is headed to federal prison, where the sentences will run concurrently. The DOJ noted in its release that there “is no parole in the federal system.”
Assistant Solicitor Julie Kate Keeney prosecuted the state charges and highlighted the odious and detestable nature of the crimes.
“These were unspeakably depraved acts against a victim that epitomizes vulnerability,” Keeney said. “Through vigorous prosecution in both state and federal court, a predator has been removed from society.”