(CNN) A British woman has been sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for pretending to be a 16-year-old boy in order to groom and sexually abuse young girls.

Gemma Watts, 21, pleaded guilty to seven charges of grooming and sexual assault in November 2019 and returned to Winchester Crown Court for sentencing Friday, according to a police statement.

Watts pretended to be a boy called "Jake Watton" to groom and sexually assault her victims.

"In this particular case, Watts targeted her young victims on social media platforms and duped them into believing they were entering into a relationship with someone whom they could trust," said Phillipa Kenwright of London's Metropolitan Police force, who was one of the lead detectives on the case.

"She then went on to form physical relationships in which she spun a web of lies and deceit, giving her the opportunity to commit sexual offences," Kenwright added.

Watts used the alias "Jake Watton" to groom young female victims on messaging apps such as Facebook, Snapchat, Yubo and Instagram.

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