‘The X Factor’ 2018 semi-finalist Danny Tetley has pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting teenaged children.
Tetley, 39, formally entered a guilty plea at Bradford Crown Court for five charges of causing sexual exploitation of a child.
He was accused of asking five teenage boys — aged 15 and 16 — to send him explicit images in return for money.
Tetley allegedly sent the messages between October 2018 and August 2019.
‘The X Factor’ ran from September to December 2018, with Tetley being eliminated in November.
Tetley had also pleaded guilty to four charges involving two 14-year-olds at a previous hearing.
Prosecutor Michael Smith said that the Crown would not seek to try Tetley on other allegations to which he has pleaded not guilty, saying: “The investigation is complete and the victims have been identified.”
Tetley pleaded not guilty to making indecent images of children and perverting the course of justice. His lawyer Andrew Dallas sought that the sentencing be adjourned, so that the defence had adequate time to go through “well over 10,000” text and WhatsApp messages.
Tetley previously denied all accusations. He will be sentenced on January 24, 2020.
