Woman poses as a teenage boy to groom and sexually assault young girls

Gemma Watts, 21, pretended to be 16 year old "Jake Waton" to entrap her unsuspecting victims on social media sites. Photos / Twitter

A UK sex predator disguised herself as a teenage boy to lure and assault young girls after grooming them on social media platforms, including Snapchat and Instagram.

The Sun reports that Gemma Watts, 21, targeted teens as young as 14 on these platforms.

Authorities fear she could have assaulted up to 50 young people.

Watts posed as 16-year-old boy Jake Waton and her sexual offences continued even after being under police investigation.

To pose as Jake, she'd stuff her hair under a baseball cap and travel the country to meet the victims. Sometimes, she'd even meet their parents.

#JAILED | Woman who spun ‘web of lies and deceit’ to groom & sexually assault teenage girls sentenced to 8 years in prison

Gemma Watts, 21, pretended to be 16 year old 'Jake Waton' to entrap her unsuspecting victims on social media sites

Read more 👉 https://t.co/Xtf1VvfGU5 pic.twitter.com/kNf3kvc7ZB

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) January 10, 2020

The sexual predator is unemployed and lived at home with her mother in Enfield, North London.

Winchester Crown Court heard how she would compliment the girls online and call them "babe", then ask for their numbers and shift the messaging to WhatsApp.

She was caught when a doctor told Hampshire Police about his worries over a girl in a sexual relationship with an older boy.

Many of the victims didn't realise they'd been tricked until they were told by police.

Watts has been jailed for eight years.

She pleaded guilty to assault by penetration, three counts of sexual assault, and two counts of meeting a child following sexual grooming in incidents involving four separate victims.