Bedworth Man Jailed for Online Child Sex Offences

A 27-year-old man who pretended to be a 12-year-old boy to manipulate a nine-year-old girl into sending nude pictures has been sentenced to prison. 📱👮

Joshua Wilson of Alice Close, Bedworth, was jailed for four years at Warwick Crown Court on 7 March after approaching the young girl from Gwent, Wales, in 2024.

The offender was caught after the girl’s vigilant parents discovered suspicious messages on their daughter’s phone and reported him to authorities.

During the investigation, detectives uncovered evidence on Wilson’s phone of sexual conversations with multiple young girls. They also found indecent photos and videos of children, some believed to be as young as five or six years old.

Wilson pleaded guilty to several serious offences, including attempting to cause a child to look at an image of sexual activity, causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child, and three counts of making an indecent image of children.

Det Sgt Dave Moorman from Warwickshire Police’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET), said: “The parents of the nine-year-old girl from Gwent were fortunately vigilant and monitored their child’s use of the phone.

“This is how they spotted the messages shared with Wilson.

“Predatory paedophiles such as Wilson will go to great lengths to befriend and exploit young children.

“By working together and being vigilant we can make it as difficult as possible for them,” he said.