A former police officer jailed for life for over 160 child sexual offences

A former police officer for South Wales Police has been jailed after admitting to over 160 offences of child sexual abuse against victims as young as 10-years-old.

Lewis Edwards, 24, posed as a teenage boy to target young girls between 10 and 16 grooming them into sharing indecent images of themselves.

Edwards, who used Snapchat to contact his victims, would manipulate the young girls into sending explicit photos and videos.

Despite the victims’ pleas for him to stop and threatening to report him to the police, Edwards continued to take advantage. When they refused, he would becoming increasingly threatening, blackmailing them into complying out of fear he would expose them.

Lucy Dowdall, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS said: “The extent of Edwards offending is incomprehensible, my thoughts remain with the victims who have suffered his abuse.

“Lewis Edwards abused the trust placed in him as a serving police officer, targeting children online in an avalanche of sustained sexual abuse, grooming them and forcing them to satisfy his own sexual needs.

“Edwards tactics of threatening and blackmailing his victims shows the extent of his depraved actions and lack of remorse towards those he targeted.

“He believed he was above the law, and his role as a police officer would protect him from investigation and prosecution. He was wrong - together the CPS and South Wales Police worked tirelessly to build a strong case against him and see him plead guilty.

“There is nowhere for sexual predators to operate or hide. Our Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit is a specialist unit dedicated to prosecuting child sexual abuse, and we will continue to work closely with the police to bring offenders to justice.”

Edwards was a serving police officer when he engaged in his predatory behaviour, having met one of his victims in the course of his work. He was caught after police intelligence discovered he had accessed and downloaded indecent images of children from the dark web.

On 8 February 2023 South Wales Police Online Investigation Team arrested Edwards and recovered heavily encrypted electronic devices alongside a blackmail manual.

Having gained access to his devices, the extent of his offending became evident, with Edwards contacting 207 girls in a sustained campaign of abuse between February 2019 and February 2023.

Investigators and prosecutors carefully pieced together the evidence to build a strong case against Edwards, leading to him pleading guilty to 162 offences at earlier hearings in May and September.

He has today been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years.

NSPCC Guidance to help keep your child safe on Snapchat:
1. Make sure they sign up with the correct age

Set up your child’s Snapchat account together to make sure they sign up with correct age. This will automatically enable settings that help to limit unwanted contact from adults and access to certain features.

2. Talk to them about how to feel good on social media

Children and young people can face lots of different pressures online. Use Childline’s advice about How to feel good on social media to help give them the tools to manage their wellbeing online.

3. Set rules around friends

Before your child starts using the app, talk to them about who they can be friends with on the app. Tell them to come to you if they receive a friend request from someone they don’t know.

4. Know where to report

There is a chance that your child could come across inappropriate or upsetting content on Snapchat. If this happens, you should report it to the platform. To report a Snap or a story, press and hold on it, then select ‘Report Snap’.

5. Talk about what is ok / not ok to share

Ensure that your child knows what personal and private information is, and what is, and is not, appropriate to share online.

6. Explore the safety features

Read below about the 10 safety features that are available, like privacy settings and ‘Snapchat Family Centre’.