WARNING: This story contains details of sexual assault that some readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
A 21-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to posing as a teenage boy so she could lure young girls into sexual encounters with her alter ego has been sentenced to eight years in prison, a British court decided on Friday.
Gemma Watts, 21, disguised herself as a 16-year-old boy named Jake Waton to groom young girls for sex over social media and have intimate contact with them in person. London Metropolitan Police say she was a prolific predator who may have had as many as 50 victims, including multiple victims as young as 14.
A Winchester Crown Court judge handed down the eight-year sentence in southern England on Friday, just a few days after the previously secret case was revealed to the public. She will also be listed as a registered sex offender for life and is under a life-long sexual harm prevention order.
The sentence comes after Watts pleaded guilty last November to seven sexual offences involving four girls between the ages of 14 and 15. Watts pleaded to two counts of sexual assault, two counts of meeting a child following sexual grooming and one count of assault by penetration.
“It’s been life-changing for all of the victims involved,” Det. Const. Phillipa Kenwright told reporters ahead of the sentencing. “For some of these girls, it’s one of their first relationships.”
Watts would use her fake Jake Waton profile to groom young girls for sexual contact over social media, the court heard. She would like their profiles on Snapchat or Instagram, then reach out with complimentary messages. Eventually, she’d start calling the girls by pet names like “Babe,” while maintaining her persona as a slightly older teen boy.
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Watts’ fake persona featured photos and cartoon images of herself in baggy clothing, with her hair tied up and hidden under a hat or hoodie.
Watts would persuade victims to meet with her and carry on relationships with them over several months. The court heard that she visited several victims’ homes and had multiple sexual encounters with them over the course of several months. She even met a few victims’ parents and successfully convinced them that she was “Jake.”
Kenwright said the victims were unaware that “Jake Waton” was actually Gemma Watts. They were devastated when they learned of the deception from police, who began investigating Watts in April 2018.
The case highlights how vulnerable children are to exploitation over social media, according to PC Nicola Benson of the Hampshire Constabulary.
“The level of manipulation and deceit used by Watts to snare her victims in this case was truly shocking,” Benson said in a statement on Friday.
“It is astonishing the lengths that Watts went to, to ensure she could abuse these girls.”
Police say Watts continued her deceptive activities despite being aware of the investigation. She was arrested in July 2018 and went back to luring and assaulting girls after she was released on bail, police said.
“She spun a web of lies and deceit, giving her the opportunity to commit sexual offences,” Kenwright said in a statement on Friday.
Kenwright said Watts has expressed no remorse for her actions, nor has she offered any explanation.
Authorities suspect there may be between 20 and 50 unidentified victims, and they expect more to come forward now that the case has been publicly revealed.
“I encourage them to come forward and speak to us,” Kenwright said.
—With files from Reuters
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