A 20-year-old man from Canvey Island in Essex has been jailed for seven years after he sent threatening and sexual messages to two teenage girls on social media. Leo Gravely, of St Michael’s Road, was sentenced on 20 March 2026 at Basildon Crown Court following an investigation by Essex Police into his predatory behaviour.
Gravely used a Snapchat account with the name ‘alfie_bach’ (also known as ‘Alfie Bachfield’) to target the girls, including one victim he had befriended in real life to gain her trust. He acted as a concerned friend before using his knowledge of her life to threaten her with violence, rape, and the murder of her family members unless she sent him explicit photos.
When officers searched his home, they found category C indecent images of one of the victims on his phone along with evidence that he had searched for extreme adult content. They also discovered a category A photograph of another young girl, thought to be about 13 or 14 years old, who has not yet been identified by the authorities.
The court heard that Gravely showed no remorse for his actions and continued to deny the charges throughout his trial. Recorder Clark, the judge in the case, described the situation as the “most shocking and troubling” he had dealt with in 50 years and told the court that Gravely was a “dangerous young man.”
Gravely will remain on the sex offenders register for 10 years and is subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He was also given indefinite restraining orders to protect the two girls, while legal guidelines for blackmail offences ensure strict penalties for those who use threats to exploit others.
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