Serving police officer, 24, who posed as 14-year-old boy to groom more than 200 young girls before blackmailing them into sharing explicit photos on Snapchat refuses to attend sentencing as he’s jailed for life for minimum of 12 years

A police officer who blackmailed more than 200 teenage girls into sending him explicit images has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. 

Lewis Edwards, 24, groomed 210 girls aged between 10 and 16 on Snapchat over a three-year period. 

The South Wales Police officer posed as a 14-year-old boy and forced his victims to make indecent videos and images of themselves, which he covertly recorded.

He then used the recordings to blackmail his victims into sending increasingly graphic and explicit images. He also sent videos of himself performing a sex act.

Edwards, who joined the force in January 2021, was charged with a total of 161 offences which included inciting children to make indecent images online and to engage in sexual activity. 

He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to life with a minimum of 12 years today but refused to attend his sentencing hearing today at Cardiff Crown Court. 

Lewis Edwards, 24, who blackmailed more than 200 teenage girls into sending him explicit images has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years

Lewis Edwards pictured here in his police interview

Judge, the Recorder of Cardiff, Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said he caused many of his victims ‘severe psychological harm’ and had caused ‘significant harm’ to the reputation of South Wales Police.

She said: ‘He had a pattern of behaviour, making online contact with a girl sometimes pretending to be someone she knew or through friends of friends as he pretended to be a boy of similar age.

‘He groomed his victims, psychologically manipulating them until had gained control over them.’

The judge said he would ‘gaining trust’ by complimenting the girls and ‘building relationships’ with them by pretending to be a teenage boy.

She added: ‘Once he had groomed his victims sufficiently to gain control over them he pressured them to send him indecent images and to engage in sexual behaviour for him to view remotely.

‘He threatened serious violence against some of the victims and their families.

‘Under his control, groomed and subjected to psychological pressure and fearful for their own safety and their families his victims would comply in the hope that he would then leave them alone.

‘However, as he intended all along he had his victims trapped. He recorded and retained images of the sexual acts his victims had been forced to perform.’

Ms Lloyd-Clarke said Edwards would then threatened to release the images on social media unless the girls performed ‘more and more extreme sexual acts’.

The judge said a life sentence was appropriate because the level of danger posed to children by Edwards was ‘very high’ as she said he must serve a minimum of 12 years behind bars.

She said: ‘These are extremely serious offences and the defendant was a prolific offender.

‘He has caused significant harm to the victims, to their parents, their siblings and their wider families.

‘It is clear he gained not only sexual gratification from his offending but he also enjoyed the power and control he had over these young girls.

Edwards (pictured) posed as a 14-year-old boy to groom over 200 girls aged between 10 and 16, while blackmailing hem to send him explicit images of themselves

‘His reaction to their distress can properly be described as cruel and sadistic.

‘His offending is significantly aggravated by the fact he was a serving police officer and many of his victims and their families have said that his actions have caused them to lose trust in the police.

‘There is no doubt that he has caused significant harm to the reputation of South Wales Police and police in general but it should be borne in mind that it was officers from South Wales Police who brought this case to light and continue to identify and help further victims.’

Edwards, of Cefn Glas, Bridgend, was immediately suspended from duty at South Wales Police and resigned following his arrest.

An accelerated misconduct hearing was held before he was added to the barred list preventing him from returning to policing.

Edwards’s victims gave harrowing evidence to the court of how his crimes had affected them – with many self-harming, contemplating suicide, losing friends and left fearful of going out. 

One teenage girl addressed the judge in person while several mothers sat in the witness box to describe how their children’s lives had been forever changed. 

‘I want my voice to be heard, this is who I am,’ a teenager told Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke. 

‘I thought I was talking to a really nice boy who liked me, complimented me, and made me feel good about myself. 

‘I told him I didn’t want to send images any more and he blackmailed me by threatening me and my family. I felt terrified, horror and let down.’ 

Detective Superintendent Tracey Rankine, head of the Police Online Investigation Team, said following today’s sentencing: ‘Our priority has been to identify the victims from Snapchat usernames and work with police forces across the UK to ensure they are safeguarded and supported. The scale and seriousness of the offences identified by our investigation is extreme.

‘His abhorrent behaviour involved threatening and blackmailing the young victims who lived in fear. Our investigation has involved forensically examining encrypted computer equipment and mobile devices which led to the recovery of shocking material. The strength of this evidence has resulted in Edwards admitting all charges.’

Assistant Chief Constable Danny Richards added: ‘The crimes committed by Lewis Edwards are despicable and the public will be as shocked and sickened as we are that such appalling offences were committed by a serving police officer.

‘As soon as we knew the offender was a serving police officer, Edwards was suspended and sacked at a misconduct hearing which was held at the very earliest opportunity to remove him from policing.

‘His behaviour only serves to damage the public’s trust and confidence in policing and undermines the work of the responsible, hard-working police officers who serve the communities of South Wales with courage and pride.

‘There is no place in South Wales Police for anyone who abuses the personal responsibility they hold as a police officer.

‘I understand there will be people asking how Edwards could have joined the police at the same time he was committing these terrible crimes.

‘At the time of him joining South Wales Police his vetting was clear and there was nothing to indicate that he was involved in such abhorrent offences against children.

‘Our number one priority is to protect the public so if anyone has any information about the safety of young or vulnerable people or those who pose a risk in our society then I urge them to come forward and report it to us.

‘I am grateful for the work of our investigation team who have brought Edwards to justice and ensured his victims have been protected from further harm.’

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