A sex offender who was jailed for grooming youngsters on TikTok by posing as a 12-year-old girl has been convicted again after more child victims came forward.
Dominic Woodcock, now 23, was originally sentenced in 2024 at Birmingham Crown Court after using the social media platform to obtain indecent images and videos of young girls by pretending to be a girl called 'Chloe'.
Since then, additional victims were identified, and he has admitted over 40 new charges of causing or inciting a child into sexual activity, as well as distributing indecent images and engaging in sexual communication with a child. He was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court on August 14 and will remain in prison until his sentencing in December.
How the grooming operated
Pretending to be part of a gymnastics club, Woodcock of Erdington, West Midlands, preyed on girls aged 10 to 12 and encouraged them to also pursue the sport. Under that guise, he set up fake profiles on social media to befriend his victims between 2021 and 2023.
West Midlands Police said of Woodcock's modus operandi: "He would send the girls messages asking for videos of them performing gymnastic routines before escalating once a rapport had been built up."
"From there he would move on to asking them for indecent images of themselves, and would threaten to expose them online if they refused."
Previous sentence and new charges
At his first sentencing in 2024, Woodcock was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after admitting possession of indecent images and engaging children into sexual activity. During his arrest, officers seized his phone and found concerning images and messages. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Following an investigation by Child Abuse Investigation officers, Woodcock was arrested and charged with the offences. West Midlands Police said: "Our officers work round the clock to keep children safe online and to take action against would-be abusers."
In 2024, Det Con Justin Mulholland said: "This was despicable behaviour which would have continued had we not managed to identify and arrest Woodcock. He posed as a girl called Chloe and took advantage of young children to satisfy his own depraved desires. We believe there could be more young girls who were exposed to his wicked ways and we'd ask anyone who suspects their child may have been targeted to report this to us."
Advice for parents
Following the new convictions, West Midlands Police urged: "There are a number of things you can do if you are concerned your children, or any young people you know, are vulnerable online: Encourage them to talk to you about how they use the internet and show you what they do - make sure they know they can come to you for advice. Have an agreement in place and set boundaries for their internet use, such as when and where they can use their devices and for how long. Make sure they're aware of the risks of sharing images online and that you both know how to remove content should you need to. Visit organisations like CEOP or Get Safe Online for more advice, training and resources to help with online safety."
