In a case that has sent shockwaves through law enforcement and the public alike, Stuart Latham, a 22-year-old man from Greater Manchester, was sentenced to 14 years in prison at Preston Crown Court on September 19, 2025, for a harrowing campaign of online grooming, blackmail, and sexual abuse targeting dozens of young girls across the UK and abroad. The details emerging from court proceedings and police investigations paint a disturbing portrait of a predator who used modern technology to manipulate and exploit children, leaving a trail of emotional devastation in his wake.
Latham’s crimes were both calculated and relentless. According to BBC and multiple local news reports, he posed online as a 14-year-old boy named Josh, using a fabricated identity to befriend and deceive girls primarily between the ages of 11 and 15. His chosen hunting ground was Snapchat, a platform popular with teenagers, where he preyed on the innocence and trust of his victims. Sometimes, he would lure them by offering up to £200 or gift cards in exchange for intimate images. But the initial approach was only the beginning of a much darker ordeal.
Once Latham had obtained compromising photographs or videos, he escalated his manipulation through blackmail. He threatened to expose the images to family members or online unless the victims complied with his increasingly depraved demands. Police described this as a systematic campaign of coercion. As Detective Sergeant Simon France of Greater Manchester Police explained, “He basically operated on his mobile phone. He lived at home with his parents [and] would very rarely leave the address. We described it as being his full-time job.”
The impact of Latham’s actions was devastating. Detectives uncovered more than 4,000 indecent images of children on his phone, most of which had been coerced from his victims. The scale of his offending was staggering: while evidence suggested he had targeted hundreds of girls worldwide, the charges brought against him related to 41 identified victims in the UK and America, with eight remaining unidentified. The offenses stretched from 2023 to 2024, a period during which Latham treated his criminal activities as his primary occupation, operating from the bedroom of his parents’ home in Wigan.
The most serious of Latham’s crimes involved direct physical abuse. He raped a 12-year-old girl and sexually abused her friend after convincing them to meet him in person by pretending to be a slightly older teenage boy. The court heard that Latham’s manipulation extended beyond the digital realm, with two young girls suffering at his hands after being drawn into his web of deceit. According to Manchester Evening News, Latham physically abused two youngsters and committed dozens of online offenses against 37 others, all aged between 12 and 15 and living across the UK.
Latham’s crimes came to light in December 2023 when his first victim bravely reported to authorities that she was in a sexual relationship with Latham, whom she believed was just 15 years old. Her courage set in motion an investigation that would ultimately expose the breadth of Latham’s predatory behavior. As the investigation unfolded, Greater Manchester Police linked Latham to a Snapchat account that had been preying on young girls, connecting the digital evidence to his real-world identity through a phone number registered to him.
At his sentencing, Latham pleaded guilty to a staggering 49 charges, including rape, blackmail, multiple counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child, causing or engaging in sexual activity with a child, making and distributing indecent photographs, and possessing extreme pornography. Judge Philip Parry did not mince words in his assessment of Latham’s character, stating, “You are a highly dangerous individual; you are a predatory sexual offender with little to no empathy or remorse. It is no exaggeration to say, you have left emotional wreckage in your wake as a result of the offending you committed against multiple young girls.”
The emotional toll of Latham’s actions was evident in the courtroom. During the sentencing hearing, the two girls he had abused in person sat in the public gallery, sometimes holding hands for comfort. Judge Parry addressed them directly after Latham was taken from the dock, offering words of support: “You are incredibly brave. I don’t know many adults who would be brave enough to do what you did. No child or adult should blame themselves. You should all be proud of yourselves as you move forward. You have all beaten him. He has not won.”
Detective Sergeant Simon France called Latham “one of the most dangerous sexual child predators” he had ever encountered. Speaking to the press following the verdict, Det Sgt France elaborated, “He would sit in his bedroom and target children on a daily basis throughout the day… it’s like it was his full-time job to get these children to do what he wanted.” The investigation, described as one of the most horrific cases ever handled by Greater Manchester Police’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, highlighted the ease with which offenders can exploit children online and underscored the urgent need for vigilance and robust safeguards on digital platforms.
Throughout the proceedings, Latham showed little reaction or remorse. He sat in court wearing a blue tracksuit, often looking down as victim impact statements described him as “disgusting” and detailed the long-lasting trauma inflicted on his victims. The judge ordered Latham to sign the sex offenders’ register for life and imposed an additional eight-year license period after his release, reflecting the serious risk he poses to the public.
The case has reignited conversations about the dangers lurking on social media platforms and the importance of parental supervision, digital literacy, and proactive policing. Detective Constable Emma Murtagh of Greater Manchester Police remarked, “This case demonstrates, unfortunately, the ease with which those looking to exploit children can target, manipulate, and blackmail them online.”
For the families and victims, the sentencing marks a measure of justice, though the scars left by Latham’s abuse will take far longer to heal. The bravery shown by the young girls who came forward—and the diligence of the investigators who pieced together the digital evidence—stand as a testament to the resilience of those affected and the determination of authorities to bring offenders to account. As the judge told the victims, their courage has ensured that, at least for now, Latham has not won.
