NATHAN WOODS: SWINDON SEX OFFENDER'S REPEATED CRIMES AND JAIL SENTENCE
In February 2019, Nathan Woods, a man from Swindon, was sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of multiple serious sexual offenses involving minors.The court heard that Woods, aged 34, had a disturbing history of sexual misconduct, including previous convictions for abusing schoolgirls.
His latest crimes involved manipulative and calculated efforts to exploit a 14-year-old girl through social media platforms.
Judge Jason Taylor presided over the case and mandated that Woods serve a minimum of six years behind bars, followed by an extended three-year license period.
The judge emphasized the gravity of Woods' actions and the ongoing risk he posed to young girls, especially given his prior offenses.
Woods had been on early release from prison for similar crimes when he initiated contact with the teenage girl, persuading her to send explicit images of herself.
This contact was facilitated through social media, where Woods used false identities, including a profile under the name Darren 'Daz' Jones, aged 22, with a picture of a younger man to deceive his victim.
Prosecutor Philip Warren detailed that Woods had previously served a five-year sentence, from which he was released in the summer of 2017.
However, in September of the following year, Woods resumed his predatory behavior by contacting the girl via Snapchat.
He continued to use a fake profile and engaged in persistent communication, calling her over 200 times, with one call lasting nearly four hours and forty minutes just before his arrest.
The girl’s mother reported that her daughter experienced a severe emotional breakdown due to the distress caused by Woods' manipulative actions.
Woods' online activities included encouraging the girl to send indecent images, asking her to adjust her camera for a better view, and sending videos of himself performing sexual acts.
Despite promising to meet her in person, Woods failed to appear on the arranged date, further demonstrating his manipulative nature.
The court was informed that Woods' conduct was nearly identical to his previous offenses, where he had also used deception and online grooming tactics to exploit another 14-year-old girl from Essex.
In that earlier case, Woods had coerced the girl into performing sexual acts on herself while he watched via webcam.
Detective Darhyl Davies from Wiltshire Police’s public protection department described Woods as a calculating and manipulative sex offender who lied and exploited vulnerable children for his own gratification.
The police investigation was notably aided by the victim’s mother, who tirelessly worked to identify Woods and assist law enforcement in building the case against him.
Woods' criminal history includes a December 2014 conviction for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, possessing indecent images, and breaching a sexual offences prevention order.
During that trial, Woods admitted to causing a 14-year-old girl to perform sexual acts on herself while he watched online, and he was sentenced to five years in prison.
His previous offenses also involved deception, as he pretended to be a 16-year-old boy to contact a girl from Essex, leading to a series of sexual exchanges and the collection of over 200 explicit images.
In addition to his prison sentences, Woods was subject to a sexual offences prevention order that prohibited him from contacting children online.
Despite this, he repeatedly breached the order, demonstrating a pattern of continued offending.
His latest breach involved contacting a new 14-year-old girl between August and October 2018, which led to his guilty plea and remand in custody pending sentencing.
Legal representatives for Woods argued for a determinate sentence, noting that he was due to serve the remainder of his previous sentence, which was scheduled to conclude just before Christmas.
The court, however, considered the possibility of an extended sentence due to the severity and recidivist nature of his crimes.
Woods was remanded in custody until February 11, 2019, when sentencing was scheduled to take place.
Overall, Nathan Woods' case highlights the dangers posed by online predators who manipulate and exploit vulnerable minors.
His repeated offenses and manipulative tactics underscore the importance of vigilant law enforcement and protective measures to prevent such crimes from recurring in the future.
