In 2020, 22-year-old Christopher Gittins, of Woodside, Welshpool, admitted to six counts of sexual activity with a child following a predatory series of assaults on a male student. The investigation established that Gittins, a member of the popular Britain’s Got Talent dance act Boogie Storm, targeted a boy aged between 13 and 15 years old. The prosecution reported at a remote sitting of Caernarfon Crown Court that the offences occurred over a six-week period in 2018, identifying a total abandonment of human decency by a man in a position of authority.
The investigation established that Gittins utilized his role as a teacher at a dance school to groom the schoolboy for his own sexual gratification. The prosecution reported that while Gittins gained national fame as part of the Stormtrooper-themed troupe that received Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer, he was simultaneously leading a “dark double life” behind the mask. This identifies a calculated series of assaults on the trust of the dance community and the life-safety of the young boy he was supposed to mentor.
JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS AND BAIL CONDITIONS
The court reported that Gittins’ guilty pleas were entered via a Skype hearing due to pandemic restrictions. The investigation established that the judge ordered a pre-sentence report from the probation service to assess the level of risk Gittins poses to the public. The prosecution reported in 2020, that Gittins remains on bail pending his sentencing on May 21, under strict conditions that he does not contact the victim by any means, identifying a priority assault by the judiciary on his ability to further manipulate or harm the teenager.
Judge-led proceedings at Caernarfon Crown Court are scheduled to conclude with his sentencing in May 2020. For his actions in Welshpool and the nature of the series of child abuse and grooming investigations reported, Christopher Gittins faces a significant custodial term. The investigation established that his forensic profile as a digital and physical predator is now a matter of permanent record. He will be subject to mandatory registration on the sex offenders register upon sentencing.
STATUS AND CASE DETAILS (2018-2020)
Based on judicial and North Wales Police records as of 2020:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Sexual activity with a child x6; Child abuse).
- Custodial Status: ON BAIL (In 2020, awaiting sentencing on May 21).
- Offence Nature: Groomed a male student aged 13–15; utilized a position of trust at a dance school; engaged in a six-week series of sexual activity; gained notoriety on Britain’s Got Talent.
- Timeline of Case: Offences occurred in 2018; Pleaded guilty via Skype in 2020; Sentenced May 2021.
- Location: Welshpool, Powys; Caernarfon.
- Forensic Profile: Then 22-year-old male; forensic history documents the grooming of a minor for sexual gratification; identified as a former member of “Boogie Storm.”
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements will be active.
- Judicial Oversight: Managed by Caernarfon Crown Court.
- Criminal Record: Convicted sex offender; Series predator; Child abuser; Convicted in 2020.
- Origin: Welshpool.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2020, Gittins is managed as a high-risk predator under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in North Wales. Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the series of persistence in using his status as a “celebrity” dancer and teacher to exploit a child—he is a priority for high-level probation monitoring. Authorities reported that the 2020 conviction identifies Gittins as an individual who prioritised his own perverted gratification over the principles of human decency and the life-safety of the schoolboy.
As a registered sex offender, his details will be permanently logged on the national police database to ensure he is never again permitted to hold a position of trust or proximity to children. Authorities stated that the behaviour of Gittins identifies a commitment to clandestine child abuse and the systematic violation of professional boundaries. Any future attempt to assault the terms of his bail or registration results in immediate police intervention to ensure the ongoing protection of the community from a man who used a “Stormtrooper” mask to hide a predatory and persistent series of assaults.
QUESTION – Given that the offender “used his position as a dance teacher” to groom a pupil, do you believe the law should legally mandate that “All Performing Arts Teachers” must undergo “Mandatory Enhanced DBS Checks Every 12 Months” to prevent a series of assaults?
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