Teenager jailed for over 30 sexual offences

A 17-year-old youth has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to 30 sexual offences, including two rapes, and nine counts of blackmail, against nine girls, all of whom were 16 or under.

Emmanuel Agbaje would message his victims, often on Snapchat, forming a relationship with them, before starting to try and instigate a sexual relationship with them, knowing some were under the age of 16.

He would then get them to send him nude photos, saying he would then delete them, but instead he went on to create multiple online accounts and profiles to try and blackmail them by threatening to send the images to their friends, family and school.

Sally Lakin from the CPS said: “The defendant in this case targeted his young victims over a prolonged period of time. He used fear to force his young victims into performing sexual acts for his own pleasure, seemingly uncaring about the devastating effects his offending would have. We cannot underestimate the impact that his depraved offending had on them.

“He was remorseless in forcing his victims to comply with his demands, with some visibly distressed, crying when he forced them to engage in online sexual activity. He threatened some of his victims with violence, saying he would throw acid in one victim’s face, while others who had relationships with him described how controlling he was.

“This control can be seen in the way he blackmailed his victims, providing screenshots of their social media accounts to prove he knew who their family and friends were and which schools they went to and then suggesting that there was little the police could do.

“Our dedicated prosecution team worked diligently to ensure the strongest case was built, working closely with the police to ensure justice was swiftly delivered for the young victims in this case.”