Norfolk's worst paedophile could face longer sentence
Police arrest David Wilson at his home in King's Lynn, in August 2017 - Credit: National Crime Agency
A prolific paedophile who posed as girls online in order to get young boys to send him indecent images of themselves will have his sentence reviewed by the Court of Appeal.
In February, David Wilson, 37, was jailed for 25 years after pleading guilty to 96 child sex abuse offences relating to 52 victims.
The 52 victims in the case were all boys aged between four and 14 and the offending happened between May 2016 and April 2020.
However, the National Crime Agency (NCA) previously said it has evidence that he approached more than 5,000 children globally and as many as 500 of them sent abuse material to Wilson, of Kirstead, King's Lynn, Norfolk.
Following a referral by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) under the unduly lenient sentence scheme, the Court of Appeal will review Wilson's sentence on Thursday.
Former roofer Wilson set up a series of fake social media profiles, using unregistered phones, to send images of girls from the internet to young boys in exchange for the boys sending him videos and images of themselves, the NCA said.
Wilson then threatened to distribute these online unless they sent more extreme footage of themselves, in some cases of them abusing younger siblings or friends.
He was brought to justice after a five year investigation.
Catherine Farrelly, prosecuting, previously told Ipswich Crown Court heard that in two cases Wilson carried out his threats to distribute indecent images of his victims to their friends.
Most Read
- 1 Major incident in city after reports of stabbing
- 2 Range Rover hit by train after straying onto level crossing
- 3 Film crews for Paramount crime series to visit ANOTHER Norfolk village
- 4 Woman in 50s arrested after house sealed off in quiet street
- 5 46-cabin holiday park proposed for Norfolk countryside
- 6 Artist dies just weeks after Covid cancellation of psychiatrist appointment
- 7 Woman stabbed in neck and arm in city park
- 8 Boatyard in 'prime position' in Norfolk Broads goes up for auction
- 9 Dereham coach firm closes after more than 50 years in business
- 10 Afternoon tea at Norwich tea room named one of best in UK
Sentencing judge Rupert Overbury said Wilson ignored the "obvious distress" of the children, with the defendant telling one boy who said he would kill himself: "All your mates are going to see your pictures."
He said some of the children, who were groomed to abuse younger siblings or friends, were arrested and that one was now in a children's home.
Another child was groomed while struggling with the effects of his father dying from cancer, the judge said, and another pleaded for Wilson to stop as his grandfather was about to die but this had no effect on him.
The judge described Wilson as a "serial paedophile" and an "extremely dangerous individual".
He told him: "You carried out a lengthy and premeditated campaign of sadistic and manipulative abuse of young boys using social media.
"Any decent human being will be astonished at the level of depravity involved."
The offences included causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child.
Wilson also admitted making unwarranted demands for indecent images of a child with menace, threatening to post an indecent image on social media if they did not comply.