A man who groomed a nine-year-old girl on Snapchat and encouraged her to engage in sexual activity has been jailed for four-and-a-half years. Daniel Willacy, 29, from Woking, appeared at Guildford Crown Court last week and was also issued with a 10-year restraining order against the victim.
Guilty pleas and charges
Willacy pleaded guilty to charges of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual communication with a child, and attempting to meet a girl under 16 years of age following grooming.
His offending was reported in February 2024 after the victim’s mother and sister found Snapchat and Instagram messages on her phone from Willacy encouraging her to take videos of herself while engaging in sexual activity.
Investigation and arrest
Following further enquiries, officers established that the offending Instagram account was shown to have been used at Willacy’s home address on a number of occasions, and he was arrested. Further forensic investigation of the victim’s phone located the chat log associated with Willacy’s account, as well as the video she was groomed into making and sending to him.
It later transpired that Willacy had used an alias when he first contacted the victim, Surrey Police revealed. However, his messages quickly became sexual in nature, with him sending 36 messages within 26 minutes at one point. Messages were also found, including repeated requests for indecent photos and videos of the victim.
Police statement
Detective Constable Jo Holland, who investigated the case, said: “Willacy used an alias to trick the victim into engaging with him, but it didn’t take him long to reveal the real reason he had reached out to her.
“His demands for photos and videos of the victim were wholly inappropriate and unacceptable, and thankfully his abhorrent behaviour was stopped in its tracks before they were able to meet up.
“This case highlights the importance of getting in touch with us if you have any concerns about either yourself, or someone close to you, being targeted and groomed in this way. We will believe you and you will be supported.”
