Sex offender who encouraged child to self-harm is jailed

A man from East Lancashire who encouraged a child to self-harm has been jailed.

Over a four month period, 18-year-old Kai Edmundson groomed a 14-year-old girl on social media and encouraged her to self-harm.

The pair never actually met in person. She lives in Derbyshire and Edmundson lived in Oswaldtwistle. However, he used social media platforms Telegram, Discord and WhatsApp to target the vulnerable child.

The victim told Edmundson she was 14 when they first started communicating over Discord last September.

Edmundson openly referred to himself as a paedophile, as well as sending her up to five indecent images of children and a link to a website where indecent images of children could be accessed. On that website were images of children as young as four.

Edmundson also demanded images and video of the victim undressing and committing leud acts on herself.

He also told her to refer to him as a disgusting paedophile and described how he wanted to commit illegal acts.

As the conversations between the pair continue, Edmundson encouraged the victim’s eating disorder and told her to carve his name into her skin.

Edmundson also encouraged the victim to self-harm and requested evidence to prove that she had done it.

Contact between the pair stopped on 31^st January 2025.

The matter was reported to Derbyshire Police and they visited the victim.

They recovered screenshots of conversations between the victim and a profile on Discord which was being operated by Edmundson. They also saw the faint marks on the victim’s neck of the name Kai which had been scratched into the skin.

Edmundson was arrested on 1^st April by officers from the East Internet Child Exploitation Team.

His phone was seized, and officers found indecent images of children on it.          

Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Edmundson, formerly of Oswaldtwistle but now of no fixed address, was charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child; causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; encouraging or assisting serious self-harm; and possessing indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty to all the offences when he appeared at Preston Crown Court earlier this year. He was back in the dock today (24^th October) and was sentenced to five years and three months in custody. He was also made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

DS Nicholas Barker, from the East Internet Child Exploitation Team, said: “Edmundson is an extremely troubled young man with some extremely disturbing views and behaviours. He is someone who presents a serious risk to children due to his online activities.

“I hope the outcome of this case, and the fact that Edmundson has been given a custodial sentence sends out a clear message that the police will not tolerate this abhorrent behaviour online. We will work with other forces to protect the victims and put the offenders before the courts.

“We are also working hard to get that message out to parents and children to be wary of online predators, such as Edmundson. They may act like they are your friend and that they care about you, but they are actually dangerous individuals who mean you serious harm.

“Finally, I want to praise the victim in this case for the immense bravery she has shown throughout this process. Now the court process is over, I hope she can now begin to move on with her life.”

For help and advice about how to keep you and your family safe online, go to: https://www.lancashire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/online-safety/online-safety/