TikTok Paedophile Jailed for Grooming 10-Year-Old Girl

A paedophile who groomed a 10-year-old girl on TikTok before sending her explicit images has been sentenced to 29 months in prison. 📱⚖️

Thomas Winterson, 34, from Ebbw Vale, pretended to be a 15-year-old boy when he contacted the child on the video-sharing app, telling her she was “pretty” and asking to chat on Snapchat whilst offering her money for the online game Roblox.

Newport Crown Court heard that once on Snapchat, Winterson asked the girl for pictures. After she sent photos of herself, he responded by sending her images of his erect penis. The brave girl called him a “paedophile” and told her mother, who reported the matter to police.

The investigation led officers to discover Winterson had more than 800 indecent images on his phone and online storage account – the vast majority being videos. This included 220 Category A images showing the most extreme forms of sexual abuse, featuring children aged from around 12 months to teenagers.

The court heard Winterson had been sharing these images with someone called “Evil Mouse” and had been visiting Russian websites known for hosting child sexual abuse material. The bakery worker also had previous convictions for possessing indecent images from 2018.

Defence barrister Meabh McGee said Winterson was “in a very low place” at the time and had voluntarily sought help from the Lucy Faithful Foundation. She told the court he now has tools to manage his behaviour, including limiting online time and engaging with mental health groups.

Judge Eugene Egan said Winterson had caused “huge upset” by grooming the child and sending explicit images. He told the defendant that the babies and children in his collection were “real children being sexually abused.”

Winterson pleaded guilty to causing a child to see a sexual act, possessing and distributing indecent images across Categories A, B, and C, and possessing extreme pornography. He will be a registered sex offender for 10 years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.