Natasha Webb

Natasha Webb, aged 37, was jailed for nine years at Wolverhampton Crown Court as the final member sentenced in a 21-person child sex abuse ring. The group perpetrated sustained abuse against seven children under 13 over nearly a decade in Walsall and Wolverhampton, resulting in severe trauma including PTSD and emotional devastation for the victims.

In the landmark Operation Satchel investigation—the largest of its kind in the West Midlands, as stated by the CPS—Webb was the only one of the final four to plead guilty to multiple child sex offences. She provided evidence for the prosecution in three trials. The court noted her learning disability and low IQ of 59, describing her as 'easily manipulated and influenced.' Despite this, Judge Simon Ward sentenced her to six years in prison plus three years on licence.

The sentencing hearing detailed the victims' normalisation of abuse and long-term harm, with one victim experiencing psychotic episodes and suicide attempts. Webb received an indefinite restraining order and an indefinite SHPO. Judge Ward addressed the broader ring: 'The result of what you did has left the victims traumatised and seriously harmed emotionally. They came to believe sex with adults was normal.'

CPS prosecutor Joanne Jakymec commended the victims: 'I would like to thank and commend all of the victims and the witnesses for their bravery in coming forward and giving evidence – it is their courage which enabled us to bring this case to court.' West Midlands Police's five-year effort, involving vast evidence review, led to the convictions across multiple trials.