Who is Austin Jones? YouTube star arrested in Chicago on child porn charges

YouTube star Austin Jones is expected to appear in court on 14 June following his arrest on charges of producing child pornography. A police affidavit claims Jones has admitted to using social media such as Facebook to solicit the inappropriate content.

The news has come as a surprise to Jones' young fan base, many of whom have supported his music videos on YouTube for four years.

Who is Austin Jones?

Jones, 24, hails from the Bloomingdale area of Chicago and launched his YouTube channel in 2013. Over the last four years, he has amassed around 548,000 subscribers, describing himself as "an alternative pop vocalist". His videos, which have clocked up a total of 24.5 million views, include covers of songs by Justin Bieber, 5 Seconds Of Summer and Paramore, as well as his own a capella compositions.

In February 2016, Jones posted a Valentine's Day video titled I'm Alone As F**k". In the 40-second clip, Jones sings about being single and searching for love.

Jones spoke to The Odyssey for an interview in September 2016 and praised the support of his fans, saying: "My favourite thing about my fans is how caring they are. If I'm going through a hard time I always get a lot of tweets or messages with really encouraging and supporting words. I love how supportive they are and how they're here for me, they keep me going through tough times."

Why was Austin Jones arrested?

Jones was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare Airport and charged with two counts of child pornography. According to a complaint, released on 13 June, Jones is accused of using platforms such as Facebook and iMessage to request sexually explicit videos from two young girls. The victims, referred to as "A" and "B", were aged 14 and 15 at the time of the alleged incidents.

The police affidavit says Jones waived his Miranda rights and told US homeland security that he did request the explicit footage through conversations on Facebook.

The complaint claims that Jones asked one of the teens to send him a sexual video to prove she was his "biggest fan" and said she was "so lucky" to have attracted his attention. Citing two events, taking place in August 2016 and May 2017, Jones allegedly directed the girls to perform sex acts and told them what to say and how to dress while describing the recordings as "try outs".

Although the victims are said to have expressed doubts about carrying out the acts, Jones allegedly urged them to continue. The legal documents claim Victim A repeatedly stated she was aged 14 while Jones is said to have told Victim B "I seriously shouldn't be talking to you," suggesting he was aware of wrongdoing.

Jones is also reported to have written to Victim B in an online chat: "I'm just trying to help you! I know you're trying your hardest to prove you're my biggest fan. And I don't want to have to find someone else."

The musician is currently in federal custody and is expected to attend a court hearing regarding bond on 14 June. Each of the child porn counts is said to carry a minimum 15-year sentence and a maximum of 30 years.