Who is Lewis Edwards? Former police officer posed as a teen on Snapchat grooming 210 girls, jailed for life

Former South Wales Police officer is jailed for grooming underage girls. (Images via South Wales Police)
Former South Wales Police officer is jailed for grooming underage girls. (Images via South Wales Police)

Lewis Edwards, a former police officer of Cefn Glas, Bridgend, who blackmailed and threatened underage girls to send him explicit photos of themselves on Snapchat and admitted more than 100 s*xual offenses against children, has been handed a life sentence.

Disclaimer: This article covers topics of s*xual abuse and blackmail of minors.

The BBC reports that between November 2020 and February 2023, the 24-year-old messaged 210 girls on Snapchat, with an age range of 10 to 16. Additionally, pictures of 207 of the victims were found on his devices.

He was sentenced on October 25, 2023, by Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke at Cardiff Crown Court, where he refused to appear to hear his punishment throughout the three-day sentencing hearing, as per Sky News.


Former police officer Lewis Edwards sentenced for grooming more than 200 underage girls

Lewis Edwards is a former South Wales Police Officer who was given a life sentence, and he is to serve a minimum of 12 years behind bars for pleading guilty to 160 counts of child s*xual abuse and blackmail. His sentence was reduced to one-third because he entered a guilty plea.

Edwards is a 24-year-old man from Cefn Glas, Bridgend, and the police officer committed the crimes while being part of the force. He used fake Snapchat accounts and posed as a 14-year-old boy to groom 210 girls aged between 10 and 16 online.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said while sentencing Lewis Edwards that:

"It is clear that he not only gained s*xual gratification from his offending but he also enjoyed the power and control he had over these young girls. The defendant had a pattern of behavior. He made online contact with a girl. The defendant pretended to be a boy of a similar age."

She added that Lewis "groomed his victims psychologically, manipulating them until he had gained control." Lewis Edwards refused to appear at Cardiff Crown Court to hear his punishment, and the judge told the court she could not force Edwards to attend court for his sentencing, as per the BBC.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke continued to talk about the abuse and threats Lewis Edwards put the little girls through, saying:

"When his victims did not comply with his orders, he would threaten them until they did as they were told. Even when told that the victim was self-harming or suicidal, the defendant did not stop."

Lewis Edwards blackmailed his victims into sending indecent pictures of themselves in school uniforms and threatened to publish their photos or hurt their families to get them to cooperate.

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths said during the trial that one 12-year-old victim was told by Edwards he could "come to her house and shoot her parents," as per Sky News.

One victim pleaded with Edwards to stop demanding indecent images and videos of her by saying:

"Please can you stop, I have my GCSE tomorrow morning, please, I'm begging you."

According to The Sun, Lewis Edwards will also be subject to an indefinite s*xual harm prevention order, which would stop him from working with children or vulnerable people. He would be required to keep his personal details logged with the police.


Lewis's profession as a police officer was also mentioned at trial

Talking about Edwards' profession, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke added that:

"There is no doubt that his actions have caused significant harm to the reputation of South Wales Police and police in general. But it should also be borne in mind that it was officers from South Wales Police who investigated this case."

Meanwhile, after learning of suspected online banking activities, South Wales Police began an investigation into the case in December 2022. Lewis Edwards was linked to the downloading of indecent images of children from the dark web, as per the BBC.


Children and young people can contact Childline with any concerns on 0800 1111.

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Edited by Dev Sharma
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