Snapchat Grooming and Sexual Assaults
A 25-year-old East London paedophile has been handed a 22-year prison sentence for systematically grooming young boys on Snapchat and committing horrific sexual offences against seven children. Barthimaus Ehiemere, of Chart Street in Hackney, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday to 18 years in custody followed by four years on extended license.
Disturbing Snapchat Evidence Revealed
The Metropolitan Police has released sickening screenshots from Ehiemere's Snapchat accounts showing how he openly targeted children. One story displayed bank notes alongside text reading "Ages 12-16", "Gay", "Let's be friends" and "Paying for nudes". Another account showed cash with the messages "I pay for personal nudes" and "Trading nude vids: dropbox or personal".
Prosecutor James Brown KC told the court that Ehiemere's most serious offences involved two young boys, with evidence showing he communicated with another unknown paedophile and described raping a 12-year-old as the "best sex ever". The court heard how Ehiemere lured one victim to woodland in Surrey, where he forced the boy to perform oral sex before raping him over a tree branch.
Multiple Victims and Psychological Impact
Ehiemere admitted 32 offences in July, including the rape of a child under 13 and breaching his sexual harm prevention order. He was found guilty of a further 15 offences in August, including paying for sexual services of minors.
One victim, who felt insecure about his body and was seeking friends on social media, said he immediately wanted to "scrub myself clean" after the abuse and continues to suffer nightmares. Another victim described how the sexual abuse affected his education and social life, causing feelings of anger, shame and body dysmorphia.
Police discovered 1,600 indecent images on Ehiemere's phone, with half categorized as Category A - the most severe classification depicting penetrative abuse. The court heard Ehiemere used the 'Spotafriend' social media app when he was 19, sharing pornography with boys and asking them to replicate sex acts.
One victim revealed Ehiemere pretended to be a trombonist with a camel business in Dubai and offered him £20 for sex as it was "his first time". The victim told the court it appeared Ehiemere had "a ring of people he was doing these things with".
Family Connections to Further Crimes
The case revealed disturbing family connections to other criminal activities. Ehiemere's younger brother, Richard, was convicted in February on three counts of possessing indecent images and two counts of fraud. The frauds involved selling personal data to CVLT, an online neo-Nazi group that blackmails children into recording sex acts and in some cases taking their own lives on camera.
Richard Ehiemere claimed during his trial that the illegal material had been on a Samsung phone given to him by his older brother. Barthimaus Ehiemere had previously been caught with hundreds of indecent images of young boys in September 2020, for which he received a suspended sentence and sexual harm prevention order in 2021.
Despite defence lawyer Barry Kogan arguing for the shortest possible sentence and presenting Ehiemere's letter of remorse, the judge imposed the substantial 22-year term. Mr Kogan described Ehiemere's difficulties growing up in a strict Christian household and claimed he had been groomed online himself at age 14.
