So, there’s this dude, Michael Lymath, who thought it’d be a grand idea to go all around the country, targeting kiddos as young as 12. Can you believe that? He’s been slapped with a hefty two-decade prison sentence for his despicable deeds. This fella, Lymath, would cozy up to kids on social media, pretending to be a cool teen who likes playing online games. But in reality, he was a creepy 43-year-old who manipulated, bribed, and even threatened these poor youngsters into sending him explicit pics of themselves doing naughty stuff before trying to take things offline by meeting them in hotels or his sketchy van.
The Echo spilled the tea on how Lymath roamed far and wide, all the way to places like Bradford and Nottinghamshire, just to get to his victims. When the cops finally busted into his crib in Southport, they stumbled upon a handwritten note titled ‘long term plans’, laying out a twisted set of rules for his future victims. The judge at Liverpool Crown Court didn’t mince words, calling Lymath “every parent’s worst nightmare” and throwing down an extended sentence to match his level of danger.
According to Holly Menary, the prosecutor, one victim’s mom got a message from another lady last year, spilling the beans about Lymath sending cash to her daughter. The young girl spilled the beans that she sent Lymath some boob pics, and in return, he slid some cash into her account. It’s like a messed up exchange program, right? Lymath, going by the name “Mike” online, initially claimed he was a teenager too, but when things got spicy, he came clean about being 31. Smooth move, buddy.
The court heard all about Lymath’s stash of indecent images, including the worst of the worst — 1,049 category A pics. That’s just sick. He even dabbled in distributing these vile images to his contacts on WhatsApp. And get this, he had a whole list of rules for his victims, like “remember manners,” “play Roblox,” and “agree to be punished with the safe word ‘scooberdiving’.” What in the world is ‘scooberdiving’ even supposed to mean? Sounds like a messed-up game of Simon Says.
The judge, Garrett Byrne, didn’t hold back in calling out Lymath’s actions as “predatory, manipulative, and monstrous.” The court peeled back the layers of Lymath’s sick operation, revealing his possession of restraints and a Velcro collar. That’s some next-level messed-up stuff right there. Despite Lymath’s feeble attempts at showing remorse, the judge wasn’t buying it. He slapped Lymath with a hefty 20-year sentence, plus an extra eight years on parole. Hopefully, that’s enough time for this creep to reflect on his actions and get the help he obviously needs.
