One of the most prolific and depraved sexual predators we have seen in years’, says Met Police detective.
On Thursday the 20th November, Barthimaus Ehiemere, 25, from Hackney in East London, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court to 18 years in prison with a further four years on license. (Met Police) He was convicted for 47 accounts of sexual assault, including rape and sexual abuse.
Police investigations into Ehiemere uncovered a sustained pattern of online grooming and sexual offences, including multiple accounts of rape.The charges refer to seven victims, who were aged 12-16 at the time of the offences.
In 2020, Ehiemere was investigated for multiple accounts of online grooming, in September police raided his home in Hackney seizing multiple devices. Following this, the police established that Ehiemere had been using social platforms such as Snapchat and Spotafriend to groom young boys.
The investigation found that Ehiemere would send his victims gifts and money in return for explicit images, and then would further sell this illegal content to other offenders, ‘bragging’ about the images he had received.
Met Police detective constable Lindsey Luscombe described Ehiemere as ‘one of the most prolific and depraved sexual predators’, adding that the severity of his case highlights the insidious nature of online child sexual abuse.
At the Crown Court on Thursday 20th November, prosecutor James Brown KC, told the court that one victim was experiencing nightmares about Ehiemere, and the abuse he had suffered. The victim added ‘it took me a long time to realise I was a child, and it wasn’t my fault’.
Following the sentencing of Barthimaus Ehiemere, detectives issued an appeal for any further victims to come forward. Detective Chief Inspector Kirk Doyle said officers believe there are still individuals who have not yet reported Ehiemere’s crimes. The police are urging any other victims to seek support and contact the police, so that Ehiemere’s crimes can be fully brought to light.
