Benjamin Mitchell

Benjamin Mitchell, a 19-year-old from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, was jailed for four years after grooming and sexually exploiting a vulnerable 15-year-old girl online via Snapchat. The abuse began in August 2025 when Mitchell added the girl on the platform, portraying himself as a kind and attentive friend to gain her trust. Over the following four months, he preyed on her mental health difficulties and feelings of loneliness, deepening their online relationship and coercing her into sharing explicit material.

Mitchell routinely sent the victim unsolicited images of himself performing sex acts and pressured her to reciprocate, resulting in her sending five to eight videos each week depicting herself in sexual acts. The victim later described feeling 'awful' during this period, stating that Mitchell 'latched onto her like a leech' and treated her as a 'plaything to satisfy his own needs'. She revealed the abuse to her mother and friends in December 2025, prompting police involvement from Merseyside Police.

Upon searching Mitchell's mobile phone, officers discovered 32 category C indecent images of girls aged between eight and 11. During interviews, Mitchell made disturbing admissions, including his desire to 'use cable ties to tie up children' and his sexual attraction to children, claiming he 'couldn't stop' despite knowing it was wrong. He had a prior conviction in May 2024 for possessing child indecent images, for which he received a suspended six-month sentence.

• Mitchell pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communications with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch a sexual act, possession of indecent images of children, making indecent images, and breaching a suspended sentence order.
• At Liverpool Crown Court on 14 April 2026, Judge Andrew Menary KC described the case as involving the 'systematic grooming and sexual exploitation' of a vulnerable child, noting Mitchell's 'entrenched sexual interest in children' and obsession with collecting weapons.

The judge highlighted how Mitchell exploited the girl's vulnerabilities, introducing sexual content after building trust and using emotional manipulation to persist despite her refusals. A psychiatric report confirmed Mitchell's diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, which somewhat reduced his culpability but did not absolve him of responsibility, as he was fully aware of the girl's age and the wrongness of his actions. The victim's mother called the crimes 'disgusting and abhorrent', labelling Mitchell a 'parent's worst nightmare'.

In addition to the four-year custodial sentence, Mitchell received an extended three-year licence period, a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, indefinite registration on the sex offenders' register, and a lifelong restraining order. He must serve at least two-thirds of his term before potential release by the Parole Board.