Cheshire man jailed for over 20 years for online sexual offences
Mark Woodcock was sentenced to 17-years in prison plus six years on extended licence
A man from Northwich has been jailed for 23 years after he admitted engaging in online sexual communications with a child.
Mark Woodcock, of Belmont Road, Northwich, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 30 May.
The court heard how Woodcock had engaged with the profile of a 12-year-old girl on Snapchat.
He was sentenced to 17-years in prison plus six years on extended licence.
The 29-year-old had earlier pleaded guilty to 27 charges including making indecent images of children and distribution of indecent images of children.
"specifically targeted young girls"
Detective Constable Stacey Thompson, of the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “I welcome the sentence handed to Woodcock, who was left with no choice but to plead guilty to all of the charges as a result of the messages and indecent images that we discovered on his devices.
“He was well aware that his victims were underage, and as a 29-year-old man he knew what he was doing was wrong, but despite this he continued with his deceitful actions.
“Through the use of social media, he specifically targeted young girls, plying them with sexualised messages and indecent images in order to fulfil his own sexual desires.
“Thankfully, as a result of the evidence we gathered, he has now been held accountable for his actions and is facing a significant time behind bars where he can reflect upon his actions.”