TL;DR
- Barthimaus Ehiemere, 25, from Hackney, was sentenced to 18 years for 47 offences against boys aged 12 to 16, including seven counts of rape.
- Ehiemere groomed victims online, boasted about his actions, and sold abusive content; he was previously given a suspended sentence in 2021 for related offences.
‘Prolific and depraved’ child rapist who sold abuse images jailed | UK News
Barthimaus Ehiemere, of Hackney, east London, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court to 18 years’ imprisonment for 47 offences against seven known victims.
Police discovered the 25-year-old groomed boys aged 12 to 16 online, and committed serious sexual offences against them, including seven counts of rape against two boys between 2019 and 2023.
Not only that, he would “actively brag about his endeavours” and sell the illegal content to other predators, the Met Police said.
He used Snapchat and the now-discontinued app, Spotafriend.
In light of this, he was then sentenced in February 2021 at Wood Green Crown Court to eight months in a young offenders’ institution, suspended for 24 months and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
By October 2024, police had identified initial victims and officers discovered footage of him raping a 12-year-old boy after another of his devices was seized.
Prosecutor James Brown KC said the paedophile had a “deep-seated and commercial interest in the sexual abuse of young teenage boys”.
Sentencing, judge Timothy Greene told Ehiemere: “You are a serious danger to young boys with whom you come into contact.”
He also sentenced the predator to a further four-year licence period and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
In an impact statement read out by Mr Brown, one victim said they were “waking up with nightmares” about their tormentor.
The victim added: “It took me a long time to realise I was a child and it wasn’t my fault.”
Detective Constable Lindsey Luscombe of the Met’s Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation team, appealed for other victims to come forward.
“Ehiemere is one of the most prolific and depraved sexual predators we have seen in recent years. He groomed his victims online, demonstrating a dangerous pattern of offending,” she said.
“This case demonstrates the insidious nature of online child sex abuse and its grave implications in the real world.”
Mitigating for Ehiemere, Barry Kogan said: “He wishes to express his deep shame and remorse on account of all of his offending.
“He would like to apologise for the distress he has caused.”
He was also found guilty by a jury on a further 15 charges relating to sexual assaults and paying for the sexual services of a child.