Former police officer Lewis Edwards jailed for life over 160 sexual offences against children

A former South Wales Police officer has been sentenced to life in jail with a minimum of 12 years for 162 charges, including blackmail and child sexual abuse.

Warning: The following article contains some content that you may find distressing, including descriptions of child abuse.

Lewis Edwards, 24, from Heol Ty Cribwr, Cefn Glas, Bridgend, groomed more than 200 victims, aged 10-16, into sending him sexually explicit content.

He refused to appear for sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said Lewis Edwards gained "sadistic enjoyment" from the distress of his young victims.

She told Cardiff Crown Court: "These are extremely serious offences and the defendant is a prolific offender.

"He has caused significant harm to the victims, their parents, their siblings and their wider families.

"It is clear that he not only gained sexual gratification but he also enjoyed the power he had over the young girls."

She described his behaviour as "cruel and sadistic", adding that she found he was dangerous and posed a high risk of danger to children.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said Lewis Edwards could be "in no doubt about the immense harm he was causing to his victims", which she described as "very significant".

"That harm extends to the victims' parents, siblings and wider families," the judge said.

She told the court that Edwards was the only person responsible for his crimes.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told the court she could not force Lewis Edwards to attend court for his sentencing.

Describing his offences, she said: "The defendant had a pattern of behaviour. He made online contact with a girl.

"The defendant pretended to be a boy of a similar age. He groomed his victims psychologically, manipulating them until he had gained control.

"When his victims did not comply, he would threaten them until they did what they were told."

The judge said Edwards continued his abuse even when the girls were crying, distressed and disclosed they had self harmed.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, has begun sentencing paedophile police officer Lewis Edwards at Cardiff Crown Court.

Edwards, 24, incited more than 200 young girls aged between 10 and 16 to send him degrading pictures and videos over Snapchat.

The defendant, of Bridgend, South Wales, has refused to attend court for the third day of proceedings.

The charges

Lewis Edwards had previously pleaded guilty to 162 offences, including blackmail, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making a child watch a sex act, demanding indecent images of children, and making indecent images of children.

The majority of the offences took place whilst he was a serving officer with South Wales Police.

Edwards joined the force in January 2021.

He was in contact with 210 girls from November 2020 to February 2023 and received images from 207 victims.

What was heard in court?

During his sentencing hearing, which lasted three days, Cardiff Crown Court heard how Edwards would pose as a 14-year-old boy to groom 210 girls on social media.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that, during a three-year period, Edwards forced his victims to make indecent videos and images of themselves, which he secretly recorded.

He then used the recordings to blackmail his victims into sending increasingly graphic content - threatening to share the images online and tell their family and friends.

He also sent videos of himself performing a sex act.

The court heard that with one of his victims, Edwards threatened to bomb their house and shoot her parents if she did not send him more images.

Another victim slept with a hammer under her pillow in fear of retaliation from Edwards.

The court heard all but one of the victims were abused by Edwards while he was a serving police officer, and he targeted one teenager 17 days after meeting her as part of his duties.

On 30 occasions, Edwards was speaking to the victims whilst he was on duty as a police officer.

The victim statements

Many of the victims have had statements read out in court, talking about the effects his actions have had on them.

The court heard that some girls were so traumatised from Edwards's actions, they started self-harming.

While reading out the statement from the thirty-ninth victim’s mother, the prosecution lawyer Roger Griffiths needed to take a break after becoming emotional reading the statement.

The statement said: “Our lives as parents changed forever. As a family our lives have literally turned upside down and as a mother my heart has been broken. As a family we have had our fair share of heartache and tragedy but nothing can ever compare to this.

“When we were contacted by the police, and made aware of the horrendous things he made my daughter do when she was 11 years old, I can’t put into words the sickening feeling I felt, it’s no feeling a mother should ever feel.

“She was a beautiful 11-year-old child and she was made to do things she had no idea about, she was too young to understand her actions. To think of her causing physical injury to own body breaks my heart. I want the court to understand not only the impact on my daughter but the significant impact on her father and I.

“We find it hard to come to terms with what he has done to my child. I’ve never felt so vulnerable. Her father is struggling, he feels it’s his job to be protective of the family and feels he’s let us down . We’ll never come to terms with what he has done to our child.

“When I go to sleep I am angry and hurt and I wake up in the morning with the same feelings. I can’t understand how an adult can do this to an innocent child. The fact he has a position in the community of authority where he was paid to protect the public makes me sick to the stomach".

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said Lewis Edwards gained "sadistic enjoyment" from the distress of his young victims.

She told Cardiff Crown Court: "These are extremely serious offences and the defendant is a prolific offender.

"He has caused significant harm to the victims, their parents, their siblings and their wider families.

"It is clear that he not only gained sexual gratification but he also enjoyed the power he had over the young girls."

Judge's comments

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said Lewis Edwards gained "sadistic enjoyment" from the distress of his young victims.

She told Cardiff Crown Court: "These are extremely serious offences and the defendant is a prolific offender.

"He has caused significant harm to the victims, their parents, their siblings and their wider families.

"It is clear that he not only gained sexual gratification but he also enjoyed the power he had over the young girls."

She described his behaviour as "cruel and sadistic", adding that she found he was dangerous and posed a high risk of danger to children.

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