A police officer who blackmailed and threatened underage girls to send him explicit photos of themselves on Snapchat was jailed for at least 12 years.

Lewis Edwards, 24, groomed more than 200 girls online. He admitted 160 counts of child sexual abuse and blackmail.

The South Wales Police officer messaged 210 girls, aged 10 to 16, from November 2020 until February 2023 and images of 207 of them were found on his devices among 4,500 indecent images of children.

Edwards, who refused to attend Cardiff Crown Court throughout his three-day sentencing hearing, joined the force as a police constable in January 2021 but is now barred from policing.

Handing him multiple concurrent prison sentences, including several life sentences with a minimum term of 12 years, the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "It is clear that he not only gained sexual gratification from his offending but he also enjoyed the power and control he had over these young girls."

Edwards, of Cefn Glas, Bridgend, will also be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, barring him from working with children or vulnerable people and requiring him to keep his personal details logged with police.

The judge described his behaviour as "cruel and sadistic" and "psychologically manipulative", adding that he posed a high risk of danger to children.

"Even when his victims were crying, begging him to stop, the defendant did not stop even though he could be in no doubt about the immense harm he was causing his victims," she said.

This video has been edited to remove graphic descriptions of sexual offences.

The judge's sentencing remarks can be read in full at: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/r-...

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos:    / @skynewscourts  

Follow Sky News on Twitter:   / skynews   and   / skynewsbreak  

Like us on Facebook:   / skynews  

Follow us on Instagram:   / skynews  

For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:

Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-n...

Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...