David Nicholas Wilson created a series of fake online identities to contact young boys on Facebook, authorities said.
A British man has pleaded guilty to 96 sex abuse offences against 51 boys between the ages of 4 and 14, in what authorities called one of the worst pedophile cases they've ever seen. Laborer David Nicholas Wilson, 36, contacted more than 5,000 children across the world in a series of fake online identities on Facebook and other platforms, British investigators said. He pretended to be a young girl who was genuinely interested in creating social relationships, they said.
Wilson then lured young boys into exchanging photos and videos of themselves, authorities said. After he gained the boys' trust and received their images and footage, he then blackmailed the children into sending him more extreme videos, in some cases of them abusing abusing younger siblings or friends, according to authorities.
Wilson pleaded guilty Nov. 23 to 96 charges, including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12.
It took nearly 30 minutes for all of the charges to be read aloud in court, local media reported.
Britain's National Crime Agency said it took nearly two years to build a case against Wilson, and that social media outlets including Facebook participated in the case.
The Norfolk man sent some of the images to his victims' friends, and showed no mercy when they begged him to stop, said the indictment against him. Several children spoke of wanting to kill themselves, investigators said.
The agency called Wilson one of the most prolific pedophiles it has ever investigated.
“David Wilson is a prolific offender who has caused heartbreaking suffering to some of the boys and their families in this case," said National Crime Agency official Tony Cook.
“He then manipulated or forced them to send images of themselves or other children which he craved," Cook said. “He knew the anguish victims were suffering but ignored any pleas from them to stop until he got what he wanted from them."
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