KEVIN WILLIS AND NEIL WATERS FROM STAVERTON AND PLYMOUTH SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES AND ONLINE PREDATION

In a significant crackdown on online child exploitation, Kevin Willis, aged 46, has been sentenced to a minimum of eight years in prison after being found guilty of engaging in predatory sexual behavior targeting underage girls in the Westcountry region. Willis, who resided in Kingsley Gardens near Staverton, Gloucestershire, used the internet as a tool to identify and manipulate vulnerable teenage girls, including five from the Plymouth area, as well as others from Staffordshire and Surrey.

Willis, a former football coach, exploited the anonymity of the World Wide Web by establishing contact with his victims through online platforms. Under the pseudonym “Daylight Grinder,” he spent hours communicating with teenage girls, grooming them for sexual exploitation. His actions included performing lewd acts via webcam and encouraging his victims to do the same, creating a disturbing pattern of online predation.

One particularly alarming case involved Willis grooming a 14-year-old girl. After establishing a relationship online, he traveled from Gloucestershire to Surrey, where he persuaded her to engage in sexual activity with him. This case exemplifies the extent of his predatory behavior and the lengths he was willing to go to in order to satisfy his sexual urges.

Willis’s arrest and subsequent conviction followed a meticulous investigation conducted by Devon and Cornwall Police’s hi-tech crime unit. The police uncovered evidence that linked Willis to 26 out of 31 sex-related charges, ten of which involved girls from Devon. His guilty plea to these charges highlighted the severity of his offending.

During the sentencing at Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Martin Picton described Willis as a “predatory paedophile,” emphasizing that his life was dominated by a compulsive desire to engage in sexual activities with underage girls. The judge expressed concern over the psychological impact on his victims, many of whom would have been frightened and disturbed by his actions. He also noted the ongoing risk Willis posed, stating that until his sexual obsessions could be treated, there remained a significant danger of further offences.

As part of his punishment, Willis was sentenced to an indefinite term of imprisonment, with a minimum of eight years before he could be considered for parole. Additionally, he was subjected to a sexual offences prevention order, required to sign the sex offenders’ register for life, and banned from working with children for the remainder of his life.

Det Insp Simon Snell, who led the investigation, expressed satisfaction with the sentence, describing Willis as “a nasty, horrible little man.” He highlighted the trauma inflicted on the victims, stating, “In the cases where it developed into sexual activity, the children have been absolutely traumatised.”

Further complicating the case, Willis’s online activities led police to his acquaintance Neil Waters, aged 45, of Staverton Park. Waters admitted to multiple charges, including five counts of making indecent photos of a child between May 31, 2003, and June 3 of this year, along with seven counts of possessing indecent images and one count of distributing such material. Waters was sentenced to a minimum of 15 months in prison, with similar sex offender registration and prevention orders imposed on him.

Both men’s convictions underscore the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat online child exploitation and protect vulnerable minors from predatory individuals operating under the guise of anonymity on the internet.