Teenager who encouraged girls to self-harm and commit sex acts jailed
McKenzie Winkle was part of a 'Com group'
An 18-year-old from Great Wyrley has been jailed after encouraging young girls over the internet to self-harm and commit sex acts.
McKenzie Winkle has been jailed for three years and nine months at Stafford Crown Court after pleading guilty to online sexual and exploitation offences involving children.
These include:
- two counts of encouraging serious self-harm by another
- two counts of attempting to cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity
- three counts of making an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child
- and one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
A Com group member
Police said Winkle was part of what is known as a 'Com group'.
These are online networks where offenders target and manipulate young people, often using grooming tactics to pressure them into doing harmful, including extremist, or sexual acts.
Members often compete with each other to cause the most harm, with victims used to gain status or notoriety within the group.
Officers say they were able to build a case against Winkle without a direct victim coming forward, calling this the first victimless prosecution of its kind in the Midlands.
Winkle was arrested in August last year after officers searched his home and seized his devices. A forensic examination later revealed the extent of his offending.
As well as his prison sentence, he has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
"Spotting the signs"
Detective Inspector Alex Glover said “The damage that these Com groups are capable of is staggering.
“Spotting the signs that someone may be engaging with harmful people online as early as possible may be the difference between stopping them from being exploited.
"This can be anything from unexplained injuries which appear to be inflicted by themselves, a reluctance to stop speaking to certain users online and possession of extremist symbols."