Here is a statement by the Children’s Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes following the sentencing of Lewis Edwards:
“The scale of the abuse, manipulation and fear that Edwards subjected these young people to is incomprehensible. These were crimes committed by a man whose job it was to protect children and to stop them from coming to harm. The way in which he was able to deceive and blackmail young people through social media is a reminder of the challenge we face as a society in making online platforms safer for young people. The new law and regulations must force platforms to do all they can to keep young people safe, to protect them from other users, and to stop the sharing of illegal content. Young people have lived with these dangers for far too long and the huge changes needed in this area can’t come soon enough.”