STORY
Joshua Wilson, a convicted paedophile from Bedworth, Warwickshire, has had his prison sentence increased from four years to five years and ten months following a successful intervention by the Solicitor General. Wilson, aged 26, was originally sentenced in March 2025 after being found guilty of a string of serious child sex offences. These included attempting to incite a nine-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity via a video call, posing online as a 12-year-old boy to groom children, and distributing indecent images of children. He committed these offences while already under investigation and on bail, showing what prosecutors described as a persistent and calculated intent to exploit vulnerable victims.
The case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, which allows the most serious criminal sentences to be challenged. The Court agreed that the original term did not reflect the full gravity of Wilson’s actions and increased it by nearly two years. In a statement following the ruling, the Solicitor General said Wilson’s crimes were “sickening” and that the increased sentence sends a clear message that such predatory behaviour will be met with appropriately severe punishment.