Paedophile encouraged girl to self-harm and carve his name in her neck

A paedophile who encouraged a teenage girl to self harm and even etch his name in the skin of her neck has been jailed.

Kai Edmundson, 18, lured in his vulnerable victim through social media sites including Telegram, Discord and WhatsApp before abusing her over a four-month period.

He then sent the girl, from Derbyshire, up to five indecent pictures, while demanding she send photos and clips of herself undressing and committing lewd acts.

Edmundson also signposted the teenager to a website full of indecent images of children, some aged as young as four.

The sexual offender from Oswaldthistle, Lancashire, told his victim to refer to him as a ‘disgusting paedophile’ and expressed his desire to commit illegal acts.

Screenshots of the pair’s conversations on Discord showed Edmundson demanding the girl self harm and produce evidence of having done so, while encouraging her eating disorder.

Officers also discovered evidence that Edmundson had made the 14-year-old etch his name into the skin of her neck.

Edmundson ceased communication with the girl as of January 31, 2025.

The paedophile was arrested on April 1 after police visited his home and found indecent pictures of children on his phone.

He later pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to charges of 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.

On Friday Edmundson, now of no fixed address, was sentenced to five years and three months in custody.

He is also subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will appear on the sexual 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.’

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