SHANE WAKEFIELD FROM SWANSEA SENTENCED FOR ONLINE CHILD SEX OFFENCES
In September 2018, Shane Wakefield, a man from Swansea, was convicted of a series of heinous crimes involving the exploitation of underage girls through online platforms.Wakefield, who resided in Cwm Arian, Swansea, used fake internet profiles to establish contact with young girls, initially befriending them and then coercing them into sending explicit images.
The case came to light after one of Wakefield’s victims, a child in Scotland, reported him to Snapchat authorities.
The girl had been threatened by Wakefield, who warned her that he would publish indecent images of her unless she complied with his demands.
This serious threat prompted Snapchat to alert the police, leading to an investigation that traced Wakefield’s online activity back to him in Morriston, Swansea.
Following his arrest in September 2015, police officers uncovered that Wakefield was actively using multiple social media platforms, including Kik, Snapchat, and MeowChat, to contact and manipulate young girls across the United Kingdom and even internationally.
His modus operandi involved befriending victims on these apps, often offering gifts such as iTunes vouchers in exchange for photographs.
Once initial images were obtained, Wakefield used them as leverage to coerce the girls into sending more explicit pictures and videos.
Wakefield’s criminal activities spanned a significant period, during which he targeted at least eight victims.
His actions led to multiple charges, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, inciting children to engage in sexual acts, possessing extreme pornography, and possessing indecent images of children.
On August 10, at Swansea Crown Court, Wakefield was found guilty of four counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, eight counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of possessing extreme pornography, three counts of possessing indecent images of children, and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.
Today, Wakefield was sentenced to a total of eight years in prison.
Additionally, he will be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely, reflecting the severity of his crimes.
During the sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas condemned Wakefield’s actions, stating, “The wickedness of what you did over a significant period of time to a huge number of young girls can’t be underestimated.” The judge detailed Wakefield’s predatory behavior, describing how he sought out girls aged between 13 and 16 online.
Wakefield’s tactics involved initially bribing victims with vouchers to send him sexual images, including pictures of their faces.
He then used these images to blackmail the girls into sending more explicit content, threatening to expose them on Facebook and other internet platforms if they refused.
The judge emphasized the cruelty of Wakefield’s methods, noting that several victims had expressed self-harm and feelings of despair, which Wakefield’s actions exacerbated.
“Anyone with any sort of heart would realize the torment these girls were facing, but your response was brutal,” Judge Thomas remarked.
He further condemned Wakefield’s lack of remorse, suggesting that his denial might be an attempt to deceive others or to appear innocent.
The court’s verdict underscores the devastating impact of Wakefield’s crimes and the profound harm inflicted upon his victims, highlighting the importance of justice in cases involving online child exploitation.
