Mikey Winchester, from Newhaven, was jailed for four years after admitting using social media to target girls as young as ten.

The 25-year-old called himself Ava and pretended to be 13 years old.

He admitted using Snapchat and Instagram to contact three girls.

Lewes Crown Court heard Winchester convinced two ten-year-olds and a 13-year-old girl to send him pictures of themselves after approaching them online.

He sent victims’ explicit images to the ten-year-olds before asking them to send pictures of themselves in return in 2022 and 2023.

The messages were traced to Winchester’s home address.

He was arrested on May 18, 2023, after police seized a number of digital devices.

In August, another police force transferred their investigation to Sussex Police after a 13-year-old girl said she was groomed on Instagram by an account named ‘dumbphoebelol’.

Winchester, of Gibbon Road in Newhaven, admitted three counts of sexual communication with a child, inciting sexual activity with a child, three counts of making indecent images of a child and four counts of possession of extreme pornography at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday, December 17.

He was jailed for four years, given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Detective Constable Gary Baker said: “Mikey Winchester is a calculating, predatory offender who posed as a child to manipulate young children in the most appalling way.

“I would like to thank the victims and their families for raising the alarm as soon as Winchester’s offending was discovered, as well as our partner forces for supporting our investigation.

“Winchester’s offending is another unwelcome reminder of the dangers posed to children online. We will continue to work with our partners and other forces to identify and apprehend offenders, while educating families on steps they can take to keep their children safe online.”





Source link

[Featured]

[Just In]

Share.
Leave A Reply

Exit mobile version