A FRANKLEY man who sexually groomed underage girls online across the UK and then met them for sex has been jailed.
Luke Edmonds, aged 25, was jailed for 15 years and seven months at Birmingham Crown Court.
This comes after he was convicted following a trial of sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent images of a child and sexual communication with a child.
He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life, and a restraining order was placed on each girl he targeted indefinitely.
Back in October 2025, police received information saying Edmonds, from Quarry House Close, Rubery, was uploading indecent images of children online.
A warrant was carried out at his home on October 14, seizing a mobile phone.
When the phone was examined, he was found to have sickening images of himself engaging in sexual activity with children.
Police arrested him, and during the interview, he claimed the children in the footage were 16 years old.
West Midlands Police’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET) analysed the data within Edmonds’ phone, and a total of 700 indecent images and videos of children were recovered from his phone.
These all related to four separate girls aged between 13 and 15 situated around the UK who he had been grooming via Snapchat.
He had met up with girls in Bristol, South Wales, Chester and Scotland.
A review of his Snapchat account found almost 400 separate message threads where he was clearly targeting young girls.
His profile was that of a 15-year-old boy, which he had used to gain the trust of the children whom he abused.
Edmonds even produced a photocopy of a fake passport saying he was 18 when he met up with one of the girls.
DC Adrian Jackson, from OCSET, said: “The messages between Edmonds and the children he abused showed he had a clear pattern of offending and would gain their trust through expressing his love for them before bombarding them with sickening demands day and night.
“Edmonds was a prolific offender who had a fascination with underage girls.
“Fortunately, we were able to put a stop to his offending.
“He now faces many years behind bars, where he can reflect on his crimes and the harm he has caused to those he groomed and abused.
“I would like to express my gratitude to those vulnerable young people affected by the actions of Edmands.
“They have all been so brave throughout the investigation.”
