Ex-police informer who sent ‘nightmare’ messages about raping children | UK | News
Edward Gratwick sentenced to life imprisonment (Image: PA)
A former police informant who spied on activists in the UK has been jailed for life after “nightmare” messages about child rape were revealed in court. Edward Gratwick, formerly known as Nick Gratwick, was unmasked during his trial as a special intelligence agent hired by police to infiltrate environmental activists, green protesters and animal rights groups in the 1990s.
Reports from the time highlight its role in monitoring or helping to disrupt activities, including the high-profile Newbury Bypass protests involving eco-warrior Daniel “Swampy” Hooper. The 68-year-old man, from Mitcham, south London, was found guilty of 38 “disgusting” offenses in October following a six-week trial at Guildford Crown Court.
Gratwick ‘showed no remorse’, judge Claire Harden-Frost said (Image: PA)
These include arranging or attempting to commit a child sexual offence, attempting to engage in sexual intercourse with a child, distributing indecent images of children and possessing indecent images of children. Online messages sent by this “very dangerous” man who planned to rape children as young as six were “some of the worst material” specialist child abuse investigators have ever seen, a senior official has said.
When police analyzed thousands of messages on Gratwick’s phone, they discovered he was planning to travel abroad to rape children. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said he used encrypted apps such as Teleguard and Session to communicate with criminals in the UK and around the world.
In his messages, Gratwick discussed child sexual abuse by people he believed had access to girls between the ages of six and 10. He frequently talked about drugging potential victims so they wouldn’t remember anything, and recommended Rohypnol and GHB, which he described as “a good date rape drug.”
Gratwick was arrested in March while trying to board a flight to Romania at Stansted Airport after NCA officers were informed by international partners that a UK national had sent an online message that he was meeting another person to sexually assault a nine-year-old girl. When he was arrested, officers found items they believed he planned to use to exploit children.
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A subsequent search of his home revealed more than 1,300 indecent images of children on his devices, 632 of which were in the most serious Category A category. Wayne Johns, head of child sexual abuse investigations at the NCA, said: “The material seen by my officers and subsequently presented to the jury is some of the worst chat log material my officers have ever seen.”
He added: “He has shown no remorse for his actions in this case.” Mr Johns said the 20-year minimum life sentence handed down on Friday reflected “the significance of this crime and the seriousness of the offenses for which Gratwick proposes to undertake”.
Addressing the defendant, Judge Claire Harden-Frost said: “You have shown that you are extremely manipulative, having the means to deceive and evade detection.” He stated that Gratwick “showed no remorse” and that his crimes “speak for themselves”.
He added in a group message: “Again this debate is a nightmare, completely immoral.” Messages aimed at arranging the rape of a child showed “how dangerous you are” and what you are willing to accept in order to commit abuse.
Guildford Crown Court (Image: Wikicommons)
Gratwick claimed at trial that he was “trying to investigate the world of child abuse,” but the judge said jurors understood “this desperate effort to avoid conviction.” The court heard the accused described himself as a “paedo tourist” and discussed the “prices” of child abuse and travel arrangements.
Defense attorney Kathryn Wilson cited some fantasy elements in mitigation, calling him “sort of a Walter Mitty character” and noting that he “has proven very useful to investigating authorities” in the past. Gratwick pleaded guilty to possessing and supplying Class B drugs but was found not guilty of arranging or facilitating child sexual offences.
The crimes lasted from February 2023 to March 2025. CPS specialist prosecutor Robbie Weber said the abuse Gratwick described was “disgusting” and showed an intent to harm children and a willingness to pay large sums of money while encouraging others to do so.
NCA senior investigating officer Danielle Pownall described the chat logs as among the worst ever seen and stressed she showed no remorse despite the overwhelming evidence. He thanked the jury for bearing on the distressing material and said work was continuing with international partners to identify his contacts and protect children.
