JOSHUA MILLER FROM BLACKPOOL SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES AND ONLINE BLACKMAIL

A 28-year-old man named Joshua Miller, hailing from the Blackpool area, has been handed a substantial prison sentence after a court found him to be a dangerous individual with a controlling and predatory attitude towards young girls. The case revealed disturbing details of his online activities and manipulative behavior, which caused significant trauma to his victims.

According to court proceedings, Miller targeted two teenage girls through Snapchat during a sleepover. He offered them £300 in exchange for explicit images, fully aware that both girls were only 14 years old at the time. His tactics involved coercion and manipulation, as he pressured one girl into sending photos from her mobile device. When she complied, he demanded more images, including a request for her to pose with a message directed at her mother. Miller threatened to share these images if she refused, using his knowledge of their personal details to intimidate them.

Utilizing Snapchat’s features such as Snapmaps, Miller was able to track the girls’ locations, which left them feeling terrified and vulnerable. In a further act of intimidation, he sent one of the images to a friend of the girl and coerced her into sending additional photos, claiming it was for her friend's safety. Miller also claimed to know her mother’s name and address, and he threatened to reveal the images if she did not comply with his demands. At one point, he posted a provocative message on Snapchat: "Last chance. Anyone in the area want to see [the girl’s] nudes?" demonstrating his intent to publicly shame and exploit.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Miller boasted about his technical skills, claiming he could hide his identity online. Despite his claims, the court found evidence of his malicious intent. The court heard that one of the girls had sent two photos to buy breakfast, but Miller continued to press for more images, instructing her to pose with a message for her mother and threatening to share the photos if she did not comply. He also shared one girl’s image with a friend, further demonstrating his manipulative and coercive behavior.

When police arrested Miller, they discovered on his phone three indecent images of a girl estimated to be between seven and ten years old, along with an extreme pornographic picture. Miller admitted to blackmailing the girls but claimed he had not shared the images of the girl and only learned she was 14 at the end of their exchanges. He stated that his interest was rooted in humiliation and degradation, which he described as his 'kink,' but he denied any attraction to children.

The impact on the victims was profound. The girl involved in the case reported feeling unsafe at home, needing others to take her to school, and losing friends after the incident. She also experienced severe emotional distress, including thoughts of suicide, panic attacks, and a persistent low mood. Judge Graham Knowles QC acknowledged the severity of her suffering, stating, "The hardest thing is knowing she must live with this for the rest of her life."

In sentencing, the judge described Miller as a dangerous offender, emphasizing that a standard custodial sentence would be insufficient to address the gravity of his actions. Miller was sentenced to eight years in prison, with an additional four-year extended licence period for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. Furthermore, he received six months for possession of indecent images and two months for possessing extreme pornography, with all sentences to run concurrently. The court’s decision reflects the serious concern over his predatory behavior and the lasting harm inflicted on his victims.