Benjamin Mitchell harassed the 15-year-old on Snapchat for four months
A teenager who groomed a vulnerable 15‑year‑old girl through Snapchat, ‘preying on her mental health struggles has been jailed and labelled “a parent’s worst nightmare”.
Benjamin Mitchell, 19, portrayed himself online as a “kind and attentive” friend before exploiting the girl’s vulnerabilities and “latching onto her like a leech”. Mitchell coerced his victim into sending explicit videos and regularly sent sexual images of himself.
He later made a series of disturbing admissions, telling police he wanted to “use cable ties to tie up children”. As the predator was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, the victim said: “He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew it was wrong. He did it anyway. He only cares about himself.”
Mitchell, 19, of King Street in Newton-le-Willows, added the 15-year-old on Snapchat before striking up an online relationship, the court was told on Tuesday (April 14). This began in August 2025 and, for the next four months, the predator routinely sent the child images of himself performing a sex act and pressured her into sharing indecent material of herself performing sex acts.
She would send “five to eight” videos each week, explained Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, leaving her “feeling awful”. Mitchell continued to harass his victim until she eventually revealed what was happening to her mum and friends in December last year.
Her mum described how she was “going about her normal routine” when her daughter “called her into her bedroom in a distressed state” and informed her of the abuse. She brandished Mitchell’s crimes as “disgusting and abhorrent”, adding that “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare that their child falls prey to a sexual predator online.”
The victim described how Mitchell was “latching onto her like a leech”, having “preyed on her mental health struggles”. She “didn’t deserve to be treated like a plaything to satisfy his own needs”, the complainant said, adding, “He’s a danger to young, vulnerable girls. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew it was wrong. He did it anyway. He only cares about himself.”
Mitchell’s mobile phone was seized after officers visited his home – on it they found 32 category C indecent images of girls aged between eight and 11 on the device. He admitted to detectives that he was aware of the girl’s age and “knew it was wrong” but insisted “age wasn’t a consideration for him”.
He had also told the teenager that he “liked children and indecent pictures of children” and “admitted that he was sexually attracted to children and couldn’t stop”, adding he was “lonely and alone in his flat”.
The 19-year-old has one previous conviction for five offences, receiving a six-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months in May last year, relating to the possession of 10 category A indecent images of children, a further 382 in category C and 85 prohibited images of children.
“It is clear that professionals do regard Mr Mitchell as vulnerable. He has a diagnosis of autism and ADHD,” Leah Gregory, defending, told the court.
“It is suggested that those conditions may have had some impact on his behaviour and, perhaps, his culpability. There is clearly some intervention needed from a medical perspective for this defendant.”
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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. He was jailed for four years and handed an extended licence period of three years.
The Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC detailed the “very worrying” disclosures which Mitchell had made to his offender manager. These included that he had “admitted his obsessive interest in children” and his “plain obsession with collecting weapons”. He was also said to have “referred to using cable ties to tie up children in the context of sexual activity”.
The judge added that Mitchell had an “entrenched sexual interest in children” and added in his sentencing remarks: “The offences concern the systematic grooming and sexual exploitation of this 15-year-old.
“She was, at the time, plainly vulnerable, suffering from mental health difficulties and suffering from feelings of loneliness. She was seeking companionship and someone to talk to. You quickly established contact, presented yourself as kind, attentive and understanding and encouraged her to confide in you.
“It is clear to me that you used that information to deepen the relationship and increase her reliance on you. There was considerable activity of a sexual nature between you and this underage girl.
“From an early stage, she told you that she was 15 years old. But that did not deter you. After a period of building trust, you introduced sexual content.
“You sent her unsolicited images of yourself masturbating and thereafter requested sexual images of her. You persisted in making request, told her she that she could trust you and created emotional pressure by becoming distant and withdrawn when she refused. Over time, she gave in to that pressure.
“The dynamic between you was one of control, dependency and coerciveness. She makes clear that she never initiated sexual activity. She did not enjoy what she was doing. She felt compelled to maintain the relationship, and her mental health deteriorated significantly as a result.
“This is a clear example of emotional manipulation and grooming of a child for sexual purposes. The effect on the complainant has been significant. There was, on any view, serious harm caused by the activity, even in the absence of physical contact.
“You were still and are still a young man. You have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. You were taken into care at a young age and raised in a disruptive environment.”
Referencing a psychiatric report concerning Mitchell, Judge Menary added: “The report makes clear that you knew full well that the complainant was 15. You understood that your conduct was wrong. You are perfectly capable of controlling your actions if you want to do so. Your conditions reduce, to an extent, your maturity and judgement, but do not remove your responsibility altogether.
“You knew that she was vulnerable and you undoubtedly exploited that vulnerability. You have accepted that you are sexual attracted to children. You have described this behaviour as an addiction. You knew that it was wrong and you were capable of controlling your behaviour.”
Mitchell will be required to serve at least two-thirds of his four-year term behind bars before becoming eligible for release by the Parole Board. He was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, told to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and given a lifelong restraining order.
