DANIEL GWATKIN CAUGHT IN WATH PAEDOPHILE SCHEME TARGETING UNDERAGE GIRLS

In a disturbing series of events that have shocked the community of Wath, Daniel Gwatkin, aged 28, was found to have engaged in multiple online predatory behaviors aimed at underage girls. The case, which unfolded over several months, revealed Gwatkin’s attempts to groom and arrange meetings with minors he believed to be as young as 12 years old.

Gwatkin, residing on Shakespeare Road in Wath, first came under scrutiny after paedophile hunting groups identified him attempting to contact what he believed were teenage girls through social media platforms. On three separate occasions, he communicated with decoys posing as underage girls, with the intent of sexually exploiting them. His actions culminated in a series of arrests and subsequent court proceedings.

The first known interaction began in October 2017, when Gwatkin, using the alias Danny Bamford, initiated contact with a decoy named “Chloe” on Facebook. During their conversations, Gwatkin claimed to be 26 years old while Chloe stated she was only 14. Despite the age difference, Gwatkin expressed no concern and continued to pursue the conversation. He also used his personal Facebook account to send explicit images of his genitals to the decoy and asked her to perform various sexual acts. He even inquired about having sex in the toilets at her school, demonstrating a disturbing level of predatory intent.

Gwatkin arranged to meet “Chloe” at a Tesco Extra store in Wath, but the paedophile hunters were waiting and apprehended him before any contact could be made. The group promptly reported his actions to the police, leading to his arrest. During police interviews, Gwatkin admitted that the Facebook account used for these conversations was indeed his.

Further investigations uncovered additional online interactions with other decoys. In March of the following year, Gwatkin engaged with a girl named “Lacey,” claiming she was 14. Despite her age, he continued to steer the conversation toward sexual topics, including sending lewd comments about his genitals and proposing a “secret relationship.” He arranged to meet Lacey in Barnsley town centre in April, but once again, the paedophile hunting group One Reason caught him in the act.

In addition to these two encounters, Gwatkin was also in contact with a third decoy, “Katie,” who claimed to be only 12 years old. He engaged her in sexual conversations and suggested they could have a secret relationship, further illustrating his predatory behavior.

Gwatkin appeared before Sheffield Crown Court on May 2, where he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of attempting to meet a child following grooming and one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a minor. His sentencing took place last Thursday, with Judge Jeremy Richardson warning him that any further misconduct would result in imprisonment.

As part of his sentence, Gwatkin was ordered to complete 35 sessions of a rehabilitation program designed for sex offenders and to undergo up to 30 days of supervision with the probation service. Additionally, he was subjected to a curfew from 6 pm to 6 am for four months. The court also refused to release a custody photograph of Gwatkin, citing that his case did not meet the necessary criteria for publication.

South Yorkshire Police emphasized the seriousness of the case, highlighting the efforts of paedophile hunting groups in preventing potential harm to minors. The community remains vigilant as authorities continue to monitor and address such disturbing cases of online grooming and exploitation.