Uncovering fraudsters in Ukraine, #2: Jack Morgan

The photo accompanying the headline to this article is of a man by the name of Jack Morgan, who worked as a paid employee with a Scottish Registered charity, Siobhan's Trust (now known as HopeFull SCIO) in Ukraine from 2023 until December 2024. He is believed to live in Lviv, having entered Ukraine with a passport with the name Jack Morgan. He has presented to the public authorities in Ukraine a copy of a British passport. To the best of our knowledge, he has not left Ukraine since arriving to work with Siobhan's Trust in 2023 and he has not applied for a residence permit either, thereby breaching the Ukrainian immigration regulation prescribing that those without visas or residence permits are permitted a maximum of 90 days in the country out of any 180 day period: much like the Schengen. Mr Morgan was dismissed by Siobhan's Trust in late 2024, having been paid a desultory US$600 a month by the charity's Chief Operations Officer in Ukraine, Thomas Hughes.

Now see the following photo:

This is a police arrest photograph of a man called Lee John Callaghan issued by the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom in respect of a man convicted of serious paedophile-related sexual offences and sentenced to a substantial term of imprisonment with a ten-year sexual harm prevention order which prevented him from leaving the United Kingdom and required him to present himself to the Probation Service periodically for such matters as the inspection of his mobile telephone for sexual images of children.

In the words of the National Crime Agency press release about this individual:

A man who admitted making and distributing indecent images of children as young as 12 has been given a two year prison sentence, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency.

Lee Callaghan, 45, (right) was arrested at his home in [address redacted] on 26 May 2016, by NCA officers acting on information that he had made contact with a known paedophile online in an effort to arrange to meet and sexually abuse a child.

A phone and laptop computer seized from his home were examined and found to contain a number of indecent images, at least one of which he had shared.

Callaghan eventually admitted charges of making and distributing indecent images, and at Newport Crown Court on Thursday 2 February he was sentenced to two years in prison.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will put restrictions on his access to internet devices and messaging services after he is released.

Martin Ludlow, team operations manager for the NCA’s CEOP Command, said:

“In his communications with others it became clear Callaghan was a dangerous man who wanted to abuse children, so his arrest and conviction has protected potential victims.

“We are committed to tracking down offenders who use the internet to access and share this type of material wherever they are and bringing them to account.”

This information, and photograph, is confirmed in two Welsh newspapers, the South Wales Argus and Wales Online. The South Wales Argus article does not contain the photograph but the Wales Online photograph does. Intruigingly, the South Wales Argus article has been blocked in Ukraine and can only be accessed using a VPN. This is very unusual indeed. One possible hypothesis is that the individual has somehow arranged for the internet censorship authorities in Ukraine (such authorities do exist in wartime) to block a British article about his past sex offending from being available in Ukraine, to protect his reputation.

The two images of the individual are consistent, as are the date of birth on official documents and his stated age in the press release.

What we speculate to have happened is that shortly after his release from prison Mr Callaghan changed his name by "deed poll" (a relatively cheap and straightforward procedure in the United Kingdom) to Jack Morgan and then applied for a new passport in the name of Jack Morgan. He then travelled to Ukraine to evade his restrictions on travel and his obligations to the Probation Services in the United Kingdom.

He was then employed by an apparently reputable Scottish charity working in Ukraine with young people, as a convicted paedophile, without adequate background checks. The nature of his work with young people was to serve them hot meals including pizza and soft drinks.

Eventually the scandalous nature of these events became too appalling even for the Charity to countenance continuing and he was dismissed.

A source, in communication with the British authorities, has revealed to us that Mr Morgan (a/k/a/ Callaghan) has missed at least one Probation Service appointment, a misdemeanour that renders him in principle susceptible to recall to prison under relevant UK legislation designed to prevent harm by paedophiles to those under the age of consent.

Nevertheless Mr Morgan appears to remain in Ukraine unlawfully, untouchable by reason of the lack of rule of law in Ukraine in circumstances of war.

We call for all charities, NGO's and other organisations working in Ukraine to have the greatest concern about Mr Morgan (a/k/a Callaghan) as a convicted paedophile apparently currently in breach of United Kingdom legislation designed to prevent ongoing sexual harm to children where those persons are convicted of sexual offences.