A teenager from Warrington who pretended to be a teenage girl so he could sexually exploit young boys online has been sentenced after admitting 25 child sex offences.
William Powner, aged 18 from Woolston, systematically targeted boys as young as nine-years-old and made them engage in sexual activity via multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
He contacted nine victims, including eight from Warrington, via private messages and incited them to send him indecent pictures and videos of themselves, usually on the promise that their actions would be reciprocated.
He screen-recorded the photographs and videos he received and threatened to send them to friends of the victim – identified from their social media accounts – unless they agreed to his requests to engage in sexual acts and send him further indecent photographs and videos.
In one case he put an indecent video of a victim on Instagram when his demands were not met.
As well as the nine known victims, the teenager used an online chat website, where users can communicate with others anonymously, to sexually exploit further victims from all over the world.
He used this as another way to trick young boys into giving him indecent pictures and videos of themselves. The teenager would then claim to have the software needed to find out who the victim is and where they live and try to blackmail them into performing sexual acts on a webcam.
The teenager was caught when victims told their parents what had been happening to them.
The extent of his offending was uncovered when police seized and examined his laptop and tablet. They contained a large number of indecent images of children.
Powner pleaded guilty to all 25 charges he faced at Chester Youth Court on Wednesday 14 March and was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday this week when he was sentenced to a three-year youth rehabilitation order and a year-long curfew order with electronic monitoring.
Powner, who was diagnosed with autism prior to sentencing, was also ordered to adhere to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and to sign the sex offenders’ register for two years and six months.
Becky Millyard, a Police Constable at Cheshire Police, said: “The teenager tricked, manipulated and blackmailed boys aged nine to 17 in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification.
“His actions have had a profound impact on his victims and will affect them for the rest of their lives.
“I would like to praise the brave victims and their families who came forward to police and gave evidence.
“While the case is concluded victims will continue to receive the help and support they need to move forward from what Powner subjected them to.”
Chief Inspector Sarah Pengelly said: “This case highlights the fact that people you communicate with on social media and chat websites may not be who they claim to be and that you should never send indecent photographs or videos of yourself to others.
“It also highlights the need for parents and guardians to warn their children of the dangers of communicating with people online and via social media, to check that they are using those things safely and to keep an eye out for any warning signs of sexual exploitation.”
For advice on identifying signs of sexual exploitation visit www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/child-sexual-exploitation/signs-symptoms-and-effects.
To report a sexual offence call Cheshire Police on 101. Information can also be given online at https://cheshire.police.uk/contact/general-enquiries or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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