Nico Williams, a 28-year-old man from Wrexham, North Wales, was sentenced to nine years in prison for a series of depraved sexual offences against a 13-year-old girl. The abuse, described by the court as a 'relentless campaign' of grooming and predatory behaviour, unfolded over five months and involved extensive communication and physical encounters.
Williams first met the victim outside an Aldi store in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, after connecting with her through a video game primarily played by children. He travelled to Sheffield on multiple occasions, with sexual touching occurring during his fourth visit and full sexual intercourse taking place in a park and an unknown forest on the fifth. The court heard that Williams recorded these encounters, including one where he called the girl a 'good girl' after an intimate act, and another where she asked him to stop because he was hurting her—though he deleted that portion of the recording.
- Williams sent nearly 1,000 phone calls and messages to the girl in a single day, often into the early hours, which impacted her education and development.
- He requested and received videos of her exposing her breast and urinating for his gratification, though she refused to defecate on camera or carry a knife in the presence of a male relative.
- Police discovered videos and images of intimate acts, as well as indecent images in categories A, B, and C on his devices.
The crimes came to light on 12 November 2025, when Williams' former girlfriend discovered indecent material on his phone and alerted South Yorkshire Police, who in turn contacted North Wales Police. Officers arrested Williams at his home the following day and seized his phone, an A5 notebook containing a photograph of the girl, and her rose gold iPhone, which he had kept after buying her a new one. Williams initially claimed the girl had lied about her age, saying she was 15 when she was actually 13, and that he had deleted some naked photos upon learning her true age.
At Caernarfon Crown Court, prosecutor Mark Connor detailed the grooming tactics, including Williams threatening self-harm to manipulate the victim. A relative's statement on behalf of the girl highlighted the emotional toll: 'He was grooming her... making her do things she did not want to do. He threatened to harm or kill himself, which she did not want to be responsible for.' The family could not attend the sentencing, stating, 'We cannot bear to hear the things this man did. We never want this man near her again.'
Defending barrister Dafydd Roberts noted Williams' acceptance of full responsibility, his struggles with reading and writing, history of bullying, and cardiac issues, attributing some immaturity to meeting the girl via a children's game. However, Judge Her Honour Nicola Jones condemned the offences, stating there had been 'sexual abuse, grooming and predatory behaviour in respect of this 13-year-old girl' to satisfy his 'sexual whims and needs.' She imposed nine-year sentences for each of three counts of sexual activity with a child (two concurrent), alongside concurrent terms of two years for meeting a child following sexual grooming, four years for causing sexual exploitation of a child, and varying lengths for making indecent images.
Williams was also made subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements, a sexual harm prevention order, and a restraining order. The judge remarked on the unknown long-term harm to the victim, whose identity remains protected.