Online groomer jailed following undercover police operation on messaging app
Man who posed as a woman to target children online sentenced to 13 years in prison
A man who used a fake online profile to sexually groom children has been jailed for 13 years following an undercover police operation.
Joseph De Souza, 32, of West Molesey, created a false identity on the messaging app Kik, posing as a woman to initiate sexual conversations with what he believed was a 12-year-old boy.
During the exchanges, De Souza sent explicit images and videos and attempted to pressure the child into sending sexual photographs in return.
However, the account he was communicating with was operated by an undercover law enforcement officer investigating online child sexual exploitation.
De Souza was arrested shortly after the exchange and his electronic devices were seized.
The subsequent investigation revealed the scale of his offending.
On Friday, January 16, De Souza pleaded guilty to 53 offences, including multiple counts of sexual communication with a child and causing a child to watch a sexual act.
He was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment and made subject to a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Police said a number of De Souza’s victims have already been identified, but enquiries are ongoing to identify others.
Detective Sergeant Stephen Bosel, from Surrey Police’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “The victims in this case will be forever changed by what they were exposed to at a young age and asked to do by this offender.
“This case serves as another warning that if you have never seen the person you are talking to online in real life – they may not be who you think they are - especially if you are being pressured to share content that makes you uncomfortable or is sexual in nature.
“It is so important that we continue educating young people about the dangers of talking to strangers - both in the real world and in their interactions online - and have those open conversations with them about what is and isn’t appropriate content to share with someone.”