Mark Dodds, 38, was sentenced for grooming and exploiting young girls online
Spennymoor: A man named Mark Dodds, 38, has been sentenced for some pretty awful stuff. He was found guilty of grooming and exploiting young girls, mostly in the UK but also in the US, using Snapchat.
Over ten years, he managed to manipulate around ten girls, some as young as nine. He convinced them to send him explicit images, threatening to share those if they didn’t comply with his demands for more. It’s just heartbreaking.
The court heard that he used fake identities to trick these girls into thinking they were chatting with teenage boys. He even continued his behavior after being confronted by the mother of one victim. Talk about arrogance!
His actions left many of the girls feeling ashamed and traumatized. One girl even stopped going to school because of the shame. It’s just so sad to think about what they went through.
Dodds was first arrested back in 2020 but kept on offending until police caught up with him again in November 2023. When they tried to seize his devices, he put up a fight, but they managed to get evidence of his crimes.
He had organized the indecent images into folders named after the girls, which is just chilling. In court, he admitted to most of the charges but was found guilty of several serious offenses, including sexual assault.
During sentencing, the judge called his actions “outrageous” and said he posed a high risk to children. Dodds will serve at least two-thirds of a 20-year sentence, plus he’s now on the sex offenders register for life.
After the hearing, a representative from the Crown Prosecution Service described Dodds as a “prolific sexual predator.” It’s a relief to see justice served, but it’s a tough reminder of the dangers that exist online.
