UK paedophile jailed after arranging to rape children
A Mitcham man has been jailed for life after arranging to travel abroad and pay to rape children.
Edward Gratwick, 68, described himself as a “paedo tourist” and had discussions online regarding “prices” for abusing children and travel arrangements to commit abuse.
He was found guilty of 38 offences including arranging or attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, distributing indecent images of children and possessing indecent images of children following a trial at Guildford Crown Court.
Gratwick sent child porn to others and planned to abuse specific children in the UK and abroad. These arrangements were often had with relatives of the children targeted.
Gratwick also facilitated and helped others arrange to abuse children. In one conversation, Gratwick made an offer to supply GBL to another man to use on a child so that they could be sedated before he sexually abused them.
In another conversation with a person based in Romania, the defendant discussed how much extra it would cost a customer to beat a 10-year-old child he purported to be managing.
In March, he was arrested at Stansted Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Romania after officers were informed about a UK national who had been discussing with another person online about meeting up to sexually abuse a nine-year old girl.
When Gratwick was arrested, officers found items they believed he was planning to use to abuse children.
On Friday (January 23), the 68-year-old was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years.
After the sentencing, Robbie Weber, specialist prosecutor for the CPS, said: “The abuse Edward Gratwick described inflicting on young children with other like-minded individuals was abhorrent.
“It was clear from the evidence that he was intent on harming and abusing children and was willing to pay significant sums of money to do it.
“Not content with satisfying his own sexual desires, he also advised and encouraged others how they could commit equally horrific crimes.”
Addressing the defendant, Judge Claire Harden-Frost said: “You have shown yourself to be utterly manipulative, you have the tools to deceive and avoid detection.”
The judge said Gratwick had “shown no remorse” and that his offences “speak for themselves”.
Of one group of messages sent by Gratwick, she added: “Again this discussion is the stuff of nightmares, it is utterly depraved.”
She said messages in which he sought to arrange the rape of a child showed “just how dangerous you are” and revealed “what you are prepared to agree to in order to get yourself into a position” where he could commit abuse.
The defendant had told his trial he had been “seeking to investigate the world of child abuse”, the judge said, adding that jurors had seen through this “desperate attempt to avoid conviction”.
Gratwick, who wore a blue puffer jacket and glasses, raised his eyebrows at several members of the public as he left the dock at the end of the hearing.
After his arrest, officers searched his house and seized his electronic devices and discovered he had been sharing indecent images of children and discussing child sexual abuse with people he believed had access to young girls aged between six and 10 years old.
The agency said officers had found more than 1,300 indecent images of children on Gratwick’s devices, including 632 that were in the most serious category A, adding that he had been using encrypted apps including Teleguard and Session to communicate with offenders in the UK and around the world.
In mitigation, Kathryn Wilson, defending, described Gratwick as “somewhat of a Walter Mitty character”, adding that some individuals present in court may “feel that there is some degree of fantasy around the building of his belief in what he was doing”.
She said that in the past, Gratwick had “proved very useful to investigating authorities”.
Gratwick previously pleaded guilty to the possession and supply of a Class B drug and was found not guilty of one count of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
The offences spanned the period between February 2023 and March 2025.
Danielle Pownall, senior investigating officer at the NCA, said: “The chat logs recovered from Edward Gratwick’s devices are some of the worst seen by specialist child abuse investigators at the NCA.
“Gratwick has continually denied the offences he faced, despite overwhelming and indisputable evidence, which shows his lack of remorse and disregard for the safety and welfare of children.
“I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the members of the jury, who over the last six weeks have considered distressing evidence which no-one should ever have to hear.
“I echo the words of gratitude from Her Honour Judge Harden-Frost in light of what they have heard, culminating in guilty verdicts against Gratwick.
“Work continues with our international partners to identify those who Gratwick was engaging with and we will do everything in our power to safeguard any children from harm, wherever they are.”
Chippenham former teaching assistant
sexually abused child
A former special educational needs teaching assistant has avoided prison after inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Jassey Snooks, 44, of Wood Lane, Chippenham, faced nine allegations of sexual abuse, which include having penetrative and non-penetrative sexual activity with a teenage girl and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child aged between 13 and 15.
The offences took place between 2008 and 2010.
Snooks first appeared at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on Friday, February 7, 2025 and the case was committed to Salisbury Crown Court due to the seriousness of the allegations.
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Her trial took place at Winchester Crown Court on December 8 last year, where she was unanimously convicted of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Snooks, who was previously employed as an SEN teaching assistant at Hardenhuish School in Chippenham, was sentenced on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Judge Bromige imposed a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered Snooks to complete 30 rehabilitation activity days, along with 175 hours of unpaid work.
She must sign onto the sex offender's register for ten years and she will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order during this period.
Dangerous paedophile who groomed girl in West Midlands convicted of 20 sickening child sex offences
Luke Williamson pursued underage girls, including one in the West Midlands offering them money, alcohol, and vapes to groom them into sexual acts
A ‘calculated and manipulative’ paedophile who pursued young girls, including one in the West Midlands, has been put behind bars.
Luke Williamson sent thousands of messages, including videos and voice calls, through multiple social media channels, ‘overwhelming’ two teenage girls aged under 16, one living in West Midlands and the other in Hertfordshire.
He led them to believe he was ‘in love with them’ and manipulated them into doing what he wanted for his own ‘perverse sexual gain’.
The 34-year-old was investigated when his phone was seized in May of last year, when he was being investigated for another matter.
Read more: Teenage girl 'harassed multiple times' on buses in four-month ordeal
Humberside Police’s Digital Forensics Unit uncovered messages with underage girls he had groomed, and indecent images and videos of children he had been sending and receiving.
Police found Williamson drove significant distances across the country to meet the girls, and location tracking data analysed from his phone showed that he would wait for hours in his car to execute his plan.
On one occasion, he went to such lengths that he ‘meticulously’ planned and implemented entering one of the girl’s houses whilst her family members slept inside, to engage in sexual activity with her.
Williamson was arrested in July this year and whilst he first refused to admit involvement in any of the allegations put to him. Due to the amount of significant evidence and strong case built by the detectives, he entered a guilty plea to 20 child sex offences, at a Pre-Trial Plea Hearing in October 2025.
He had been charged in July 2025 and pleaded guilty in October 2025 to 12 counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, three counts of sexual communications with a child, three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act and taking indecent photographs of a child.
Williamson of Bunyan Road in Kempston, Bedfordshire, was jailed for eight years and will be required to be on licence for an additional three years.
He is also to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely, and handed a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Read more: Woman raped near Midlands cemetery on Christmas Eve as police launch investigation
Leading the ‘extensive investigation’ into the scale of Williamson’s offending was Detective Inspector Cat Slaughter from the Humberside force’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit.
DI Slaughter said: “Williamson is a very calculated and manipulative man who preyed on vulnerable girls and in essence, groomed them with his methods being the same each time.
“He would first ask the girls how old they were and once he knew they were underage he continued with messaging them inappropriately.
“Once they were overwhelmed by his interest, he progressed on to asking them for favours, which included sending photographs of their legs and feet.
“He went on to initiate a phone or video call with the girls.
“If they were reluctant or refused, he offered them money, alcohol, or vapes in a devious scheme to coerce them into doing what he wanted.
“He then took the next step, persuading them to meet him in person, which enabled him to continue his sexual offending against them.”
And the determined paedophile did not stop, even after being arrested. Police said he was a ‘danger to young girls’.
The judge described him as a ‘high-risk offender and a serious risk to teenage girls’.
DI Slaughter continued: “Even whilst on remand for a previous investigation, Williamson continued to write letters to one of the girls, making false promises, and further led her to believe that he was in love with her.
“When someone has been sexually manipulated, groomed or abused, people sometimes do not want to fully engage with an investigation, as was the situation with this case, and I want to acknowledge how incredibly difficult it is and that we completely understand and respect the girls’ decision.
“We believed that Williamson was a danger to young girls, and we continued to gather as much evidence as we could to build a strong case against him.
“Before the Judge passed her sentence today, she said that Williamson is a high-risk offender and a serious risk to teenage girls.”
And the detective is urging anyone affected by this case and Williamson’s offending to come forward.
DI Slaughter added: “I hope the result at court today demonstrates our commitment to prosecuting offenders like Williamson and I hope it provides some reassurance to anyone who has been or is a victim of any type of sexual offence.
“It is never your fault, you will be believed, and we will do all we can to hold those responsible to account.
“I would urge anyone who reads this court result about Williamson’s offending and is affected by it, or if it causes you concern, please come forward and report via our dedicated Major Incident Public Portal quoting log 72 of 17 November 2025.”
The Humberside force added: “If you, or someone you know has been a victim of rape or other sexual offences, when you are ready, you can report it to us via our non-emergency number 101 or always call 999 in an emergency.
“You can also report concerns or information anonymously via our independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
While Jessica Randell, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "Luke Williamson repeatedly targeted and groomed young girls, before subjecting them to appalling degradation.
“He treated his victims as sexual objects to be used and discarded, showing a complete disregard for their dignity and wellbeing in doing so.
“To build this case, we dissected thousands of text messages between Williamson and his victims.
“This allowed us to build a comprehensive picture of the extent of his offending and ultimately secure guilty pleas to 20 counts of child sexual abuse.
“Working closely with Humberside Police, we have been able to ensure that Williamson is rightfully imprisoned for his crimes and cannot subject any more victims to his disturbing patterns of behaviour.
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