A Frankley man has been jailed for almost 16 years after sexually grooming underage girls across the UK online before meeting them for sex.
Detectives praised the bravery of his victims after 25-year-old Luke Edmonds was sentenced to 15 years and seven months at Birmingham Crown Court on charges of sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent images of a child and sexual communication with a child.
He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life and a restraining order was placed on each girl he targeted indefinitely.
West Midlands Police started an investigation in October 2025 after receiving information that Edmonds was uploading indecent images of children online.
Obtaining a warrant to search his home address, officers seized a mobile phone which was found to have sickening images of him engaging in sexual activity with children.
Following his arrest, Edmonds claimed the children in the footage were 16 years old.
The data within Edmonds’ phone was further examined by WMP’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET) and discovered a total of 700 indecent images and videos of children.
The images found all related to four separate girls aged between 13 and 15 across the country.
Edmonds groomed the girls using Snapchat, his profile claiming him to be a 15-year-old boy and met up with girls in Bristol, South Wales, Chester and Scotland. When he met one of the girls, he even produced a photocopy of a fake passport saying he was just 18.
Officers found almost 400 separate Snapchat message threads where Edmonds targeted young girls.
DC Adrian Jackson, from OCSET, said: “The messages between Edmonds and the children he abused showed he had a clear pattern of offending and would gain their trust through expressing his love for them before bombarding them with sickening demands day and night.
“Edmonds was a prolific offender who had a fascination with underage girls. Fortunately, we were able to put a stop to his offending. He now faces many years behind bars where he can reflect on his crimes and the harm he has caused to those he groomed and abused.
“I would like to express my gratitude to those vulnerable young people affected by the actions of Edmands. They have all been so brave throughout the investigation.”
For help and support go to How to report rape, sexual assault or other sexual offences | West Midlands Police
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