The mystery as to what happened to cricket content creator Kez appears to have been solved this week after news that he has been jailed for three years.
The YouTuber, whose full name is Kieran Hornsby, co-presented the channel WeCricket, which had hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
Followers had spent a long time wondering what had happened to the 29-year-old after his social media account was shut down in 2023 and WeCricket was taken offline.
Speculation built, with some wondering about his mental health, while others feared he had died – some even dedicating tribute videos to him.
But the truth was that Hornsby had been arrested in March 2023 and charged with distributing indecent images of children.
He was convicted and jailed this month.
What was WeCricket?
Hornsby had presented and run the channel alongside his co-host to hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide.
Their videos were a mixture of commenting on professional cricket and trying out their own skills through various challenges.
The co-host had signed off with a final video in 2023 but did not go into details as to why. He has not commented on Hornsby’s conviction.
He started a new channel in June 2023. In the first video, he said: “Legally I cannot say any more than what I have… It’s so frustrating. I understand that people want to know and find out. And people will in time.”
He now has more than 400,000 subscribers.
Hornsby deleted all of his social media presence and all of the WeCricket material was taken down around this time as well.
What was Kez convicted of?
Hornsby, formerly of Canada Road in Arundel, Sussex, was arrested in March 2023.
Sussex Police said that several electronic devices were seized and found to contain evidence of distribution of indecent images, and material suggesting a sexual interest in children.
In addition to the indecent images of children, a number of voyeuristic images were found of an adult woman, who was totally unaware of them having been taken. He was subsequently charged with distributing category A indecent images of children and voyeurism.
On July 15, Hornsby pleaded guilty to both charges before Lewes Crown Court and was sentenced to three years in prison.
In addition, he was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and made subject to lifelong notification to the sex offenders register, severely restricting his use of digital devices, the internet and overseas travel.
He was also given a restraining order regarding the voyeurism victim, who in law will have lifelong anonymity.
