'One of the most despicable offenders' - Online predator David Wilson jailed for 25 years

  • Watch a report from ITV News Anglia's Rob Setchell

One of Britain's most prolific paedophiles is tonight starting life behind bars but police say social media platforms must do more to protect children online.

David Wilson, a 36-year-old labourer from King's Lynn, was jailed for 25 years. He'd targeted thousands of young boys by pretending to be a teenage girl in fake profiles.

His campaign of abuse and blackmail was so terrifying that some of his victims - aged from four to 14 - threatened to take their own lives.

Wilson pretended to be different teenage girls in more than a dozen fake online profiles which he had set up.

He groomed and tricked his victims into sending him sexual pictures and videos.

He then blackmailed them and forced some to involve their younger siblings and friends in the abuse.

Addressing the court in an online hearing, parents described how Wilson had ruined their children's lives:

"David Wilson has made me feel like I have failed my son," one mother told the court. "You have caused me pain and helplessness that no mother should ever have to feel."

In his impact statement, one victim addressed Wilson directly:

"Do you remember me?," he said. "I was the kid that you abused, that you blackmailed, that you made feel suicidal. I was the kid whose childhood you stole."

Another parent's statement to the court:

"As a mother, it has not been that easy to forget. I beat myself up for a long time - in some ways I still do. I failed to protect my child from the monster who preyed on him. I was unable to keep him safe. After the detective left my home I broke down and I don't think I stopped crying for weeks after."

Police say he contacted at least five thousand children.

The former roofer set up the fake social media profiles using unregistered phones. He sent images of girls from the internet to young boys in exchange for the boys sending him videos and images of themselves, the National Crime Agency said.

Wilson then threatened to distribute these online unless they sent more extreme footage of themselves.

The 52 victims in the case were all boys aged between four and 14 and the offending happened between May 2016 and April 2020.

David Wilson's arrest in King's Lynn. Credit: National Crime Agency

Ipswich Crown Court heard this was "a sophisticated, sustained and often sadistic series of offences, ensnaring young teenagers who thought they were being contacted by pretty teenage girls."

Prosecutors described Wilson as "one of the most prolific offenders ever investigated by the National Crime Agency."

Vital evidence about Wilson's abuse was collected from Facebook, some 250,000 messages linked to his fake profiles.

But Facebook has now announced plans to introduce something called end to end encryption.

They say that will protect its users private messages, but police say it will also offer more protection to other dangerous predators like Wilson, allowing them to hide online.

A Facebook company spokesperson said:

"Child exploitation and grooming have no place on our platforms. Facebook has led the industry in developing new ways to prevent, detect, and respond to abuse and we will continue to work with law enforcement to combat criminal activity. End-to-end encryption is already the leading technology used by many services to keep people safe online and, when we roll it out on our other messaging services, we will build on our strong anti-abuse capabilities at WhatsApp."

Police say there has been an explosion in the level of abuse on the internet over the last decade or so.

ITV News Anglia spoke to the Chief Constable of Norfolk Police, Simon Bailey, on the sentencing of David Wilson and the 'epidemic' of child abuse online.

The number of cases that police are dealing with has reached epidemic numbers according to the Chief Constable of Norfolk Police, Simon Bailey who is also the National Police Chiefs' Council lead on child protection.

During the sentencing of David Wilson, the court heard in mitigation that Wilson took full responsibility for his crimes and wanted to accept help while serving his sentence.

The Judge said, "This was sadistic and manipulative abuse of very young boys using social media. Any decent and normal human being would no doubt be astonished at the level of depravity involved."

The offences included; causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child

The 36 year old who admitted 96 child sex abuse offences has been jailed for 25 years with a further eight years on extended licence when his prison sentence ends.

  • If you are concerned about grooming or fear for a child's safety online, you can contact the NSPCC here

  • The Samaritans also have a helpline, which you can reach 24/7 here