A serving US Air Force staff sergeant stationed in England has avoided prison after admitting to possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography. Jarik Lofthus, 33, who was based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, had posted online that he was "interested in everything, all ages including babies", and was found to hold images of children as young as four. Rather than a custodial term, he received an eight-month sentence suspended for two years, an outcome likely to draw scrutiny given the severity of the material involved.

The National Crime Agency began tracking Lofthus after child abuse material was uploaded to the internet between August 2024 and March 2025, tracing one upload to an IP address in the Bury St Edmunds area of West Suffolk. Officers seized a mobile device from his home on 16 July last year, finding 42 Category A images and videos — the most serious classification — along with 26 Category B and 23 Category C images. They also recovered three extreme pornographic images and five videos depicting sexual activity involving animals, including snakes, dogs and horses. Prosecutor Holly Davies said online conversations revealed his "active interest in child abuse content".