Mark Dodds, a 38-year-old predator, has been sentenced to 20 years for abusing young girls via Snapchat
County Durham: A 38-year-old man named Mark Dodds has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his horrific actions against young girls on Snapchat. He targeted kids aged between eight and 15, using blackmail to manipulate them into sending explicit images or performing sexual acts.
The police got wind of Dodds’ activities when another force alerted them about his inappropriate contact with a 12-year-old girl. When officers showed up at his home in Spennymoor back in August 2020, he tried to hide but eventually opened the door and was arrested.
During the investigation, police seized several electronic devices, including an iPhone and an iPad, which contained evidence of his crimes. It turned out he had been recording his victims without their knowledge and threatening to share those videos if they tried to cut ties with him.
Dodds was known to use fake identities, pretending to be teenage boys or girls to gain the trust of his victims. One girl even reported that he acted like her boyfriend, keeping tabs on her social media and sending her inappropriate images.
His offenses date back to 2015, and one victim from the USA was as young as nine. The court heard how he would stalk her online, even knowing personal details about her family, which made her feel unsafe.
In total, he was found with over 40,000 indecent images, some involving very young children. The police had to make a second visit to his home in November 2023, where they discovered he was still receiving live streams of indecent images.
Dodds pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including sexual communication with children and blackmail. After a trial last year, he was found guilty of six counts of sexual assault on a child, which led to his lengthy prison sentence.
During sentencing, the judge described Dodds as self-absorbed and noted that he posed a high risk to children. He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender indefinitely.
This case highlights the dangers that exist online and the importance of protecting children from predators like Dodds. It’s a stark reminder for parents to stay vigilant about their kids’ online interactions.
