On September 19, 2025, the halls of Preston Crown Court echoed with the stories of devastation and resilience as Stuart Latham, a 22-year-old man from Wigan, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for a litany of child sex offences. The case, described by police as one of the largest and most disturbing online child abuse investigations in the United Kingdom, has sent shockwaves through communities and raised urgent questions about the safety of children in the digital age.
Latham, who admitted to 49 separate offences—including rape, blackmail, making indecent images, and causing a child to engage in sexual activity—employed a chillingly calculated method to ensnare his victims. According to Sky News and the Guardian, he posed as a 14-year-old boy named 'Josh' on Snapchat and other social media platforms, using fake photos and mass messaging tactics to reach out to as many as 200 girls at a time. Most of his victims were between 11 and 13 years old, though the full extent of his crimes may never be known.
His approach was as methodical as it was predatory. Latham would entice girls with offers of cash or gift cards—sometimes as much as £200—in exchange for explicit images. Once he received what he wanted, he would escalate the abuse by threatening to leak the images or inform their parents if they refused to comply with his further demands. As Greater Manchester Police (GMP) revealed, "He would send them fake pictures, taken from the internet, to keep up this identity of being a teenager himself, and never paid any of the victims."
The investigation, which involved both GMP and Lancashire Police, began in 2023 after a report that Latham had raped a 12-year-old girl in Heysham. The girl, who met Latham on a social media app called Swiper, believed he was 15. In reality, he was 19 at the time. She confided her real age over messages, but Latham continued to pursue and exploit her. Teachers at her school eventually became aware of the relationship, prompting the initial police involvement. Even after being arrested and released on bail, Latham continued his sexual relationship with the girl, as evidenced by videos later found on his phone.
When officers finally arrested Latham in April 2024—following a referral from US authorities via the National Crime Agency about sexualized chats on Snapchat—they discovered a phone hidden in the back of his wardrobe. What they found was staggering: over 4,000 indecent images, including Snapchats and videos up to an hour long. More than 1,000 of these were classified as category A, the most serious type, involving sadistic acts or activity with animals, according to the Guardian. Some data had already been deleted and was unrecoverable, leading investigators to believe the true scale of his offending could be even greater.
Detective Sergeant Simon France of GMP’s online child abuse investigation team described Latham as "one of the most dangerous sexual child predators" he had ever encountered in 14 years of service. "He lived at home with his family, doesn't appear that he did much in the day, but I know [a colleague] described his offending as a full-time job. 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," France told Sky News.
The investigation ultimately identified 41 victims, though police believe Latham spoke to at least 48 girls, with eight remaining unidentified. The victims were scattered across the UK, from Scotland to Bournemouth, and at least three have been identified in the US. Authorities suspect there may be even more victims who have not yet come forward.
In court, the emotional toll of Latham’s crimes was laid bare. One of his victims, who was just 12 years old when raped, confronted him directly: "You have taken the child in me away from me." Another victim, who believed she was in a relationship with Latham, described how her heart "dropped" upon learning of his abuse of others. The mother of another girl summed up the broader trauma: "This entire ordeal has taught our daughter that her body is up for grabs, for whoever wants to grab it."
Judge Philip Parry did not mince words as he sentenced Latham, calling him "a highly dangerous individual" and "a predatory sex offender with little to no empathy or remorse." He added, "It is no exaggeration to say you have left emotional wreckage in your wake in the offending that you have committed against multiple girls." According to The Guardian, Parry also noted Latham’s attempts to minimize his responsibility by "appearing naive" and his lack of meaningful empathy for his victims.
During the proceedings, Latham’s defense argued that his own experiences of online sexual abuse as a child had influenced his actions, and that his emotional age was not far from his victims. This claim, however, was met with visible anger and disbelief from the families of those affected.
Detective Constable Emma Murtagh, who led the GMP investigation, described the case as "one of the most horrific" she had ever encountered. "Not only due to the scale of the offending, but also due to the devastating impact and harm this man’s behaviour and actions have had on these young girls and their families," she stated. "We worked incredibly hard to identify as many victims as possible, listen to them, safeguard them and support them through this terrible ordeal."
The case has highlighted the alarming ease with which predators can exploit children online. DS France pointed to the role of popular apps like Snapchat, warning that such platforms are "a hive of activity for people who are committing these sort of offences." He called on social media companies to implement stricter age verification protocols and urged parents to be vigilant about their children’s online activities.
Authorities are continuing to support the victims and have appealed for anyone else who may have been targeted by Latham to come forward, emphasizing that support and justice are available. As Detective Chief Inspector Dylan Hrynkow of Lancashire Police remarked, "This crime has understandably had a profound impact on the victim, who has shown incredible strength and bravery over a significant amount of time, throughout proceedings. I can only hope that the knowledge of Latham’s significant sentence will bring some sense of closure in knowing he has been brought to justice."
For now, the case stands as a grim reminder of the dangers lurking in online spaces—and the resilience of those who, despite unimaginable harm, have spoken out to protect others.
