An 18-year-old man who groomed a 14-year-old girl online and coerced her into carving his name into her skin has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison.
Kai Edmundson, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, befriended the girl via social media platforms including Discord, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Although the pair never met in person, he manipulated and abused her over several months, sending up to five indecent images of children and a link to a website containing sexual content involving children as young as four.
Edmundson pressured the girl to send explicit photos of herself, demanded she call him a “disgusting paedophile,” and described illegal acts he wanted to commit. He also encouraged her eating disorder, urged her to self-harm, and instructed her to carve his name “Kai” into her neck as proof.
The abuse came to light on January 31, 2025, when Derbyshire Police visited the girl following a report of inappropriate online contact. Investigators recovered screenshots of messages and faint marks on her neck. Lancashire Police’s Internet Child Exploitation Team arrested Edmundson on April 1, seizing his phone, which contained indecent images of children.
Edmundson, now of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child, inciting sexual activity, encouraging serious self-harm, and possessing indecent images. He was also placed under an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
DS Nicholas Barker of the East Internet Child Exploitation Team described Edmundson as “an extremely troubled young man” who posed “a serious risk to children” and said the case highlights the dangers of online predators. He also praised the victim’s bravery, adding, “Now the court process is over, I hope she can begin to move on with her
