Copyright dailystar
A dangerous sex offender who groomed a young girl online and led her to self-harm has been imprisoned. Kai Edmundson, 18, struck up a friendship with the 14-year-old girl on social media platforms such as Discord, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Despite never meeting in person due to the girl residing in Derbyshire and Edmundson in Oswaldtwistle, over a four-month period starting from September last year, Edmundson openly referred to himself as a paedophile and sent indecent images to the schoolgirl. The predator dispatched up to five inappropriate images of children and a link to a website hosting similar content, featuring children as young as four. Edmundson also demanded explicit images and videos of the victim undressing and performing obscene acts on herself. He instructed her to refer to him as a 'disgusting paedophile' and detailed his desire to engage in illegal activities, according to Lancs Live. As their conversations progressed, Edmundson fuelled the victim's eating disorder and urged her to etch his name into her skin. He further encouraged the victim to self-harm and asked for proof that she had done so. The interaction between the two ceased on 31 January 2025 when Derbyshire Police were alerted to the inappropriate contact and visited the girl. They retrieved screenshots of conversations between the victim and a Discord profile operated by Edmundson and observed faint marks on the victim's neck of the name Kai, which had been scratched into the skin, reports Lancashire Live. Edmundson was arrested 1 April by officers from Lancashire Police's East Internet Child Exploitation Team. His mobile was confiscated, and officers discovered indecent images of children on it. After consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service, Edmundson, previously of Oswaldtwistle but now of no fixed abode, was charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child; causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; encouraging or assisting serious self-harm; and possessing indecent images of children. He pleaded guilty to all charges when he appeared at Preston Crown Court earlier this year. He returned to the dock yesterday, October 24, and was handed a sentence of five years and three months behind bars. He was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. DS Nicholas Barker, from the East Internet Child Exploitation Team, commented: "Edmundson is an extremely troubled young man with some extremely disturbing views and behaviours. He is someone who presents a serious risk to children due to his online activities. "I hope the outcome of this case, and the fact that Edmundson has been given a custodial sentence sends out a clear message that the police will not tolerate this abhorrent behaviour online. We will work with other forces to protect the victims and put the offenders before the courts . "We are also working hard to get tha They emphasised the importance of warning parents and children about online predators like Edmundson, who may pretend to be friends and show care, but are actually dangerous individuals intent on causing serious harm. "Finally, I want to praise the victim in this case for the immense bravery she has shown throughout this process. Now the court process is over, I hope she can now begin to move on with her life."
