Perverts exploiting youngsters by online blackmail

Investigators from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (Ceop) centre said today that children as young as eight have been targeted and are being driven to self-harm and suicide by abusers.

In the past two years across 12 investigations, 424 children worldwide have been blackmailed by perverts who threaten to send obscene images of the victim to their family and friends, of whom 184 were from the UK, Ceop said.

Experts believe thousands of British children could have been targeted by abusers.

Internationally, seven committed suicide, including Daniel Perry, 17, from Dunfermline in Fife, who died on July 15 after being tricked into thinking he was talking to an American girl online. Another seven seriously self-harmed, of whom six were from the UK.

Experts believe British children are targeted due to the accessibility of the English language and the foreign perception of UK society.

Ceop operations manager Stephanie McCourt said: “They are able to threaten the children if they can communicate to them. English is a really popular universal language.

“Second of all, the offenders have actually said that because they perceive the UK as a very free and open and liberal society, they think that they will have more success in targeting UK children.”

Paedophiles create fake online personas to pose as children, even geographically researching areas where they wish to target victims, and persuade them to share images or perform sex acts on camera.

They then threaten to share the pictures or footage with the victim’s family or friends, and force them to perform more extreme sex acts on camera, and even harm themselves.

Ceop deputy chief executive Andy Baker said: “Children as young as eight are being targeted, being blackmailed, being extorted, being forced, being coerced, to perform slave-like acts through the internet, on webcam.

“It is sexual and degrading, some are being forced to cut themselves and write on their naked bodies. There has been an increase in children self-harming, seriously self-harming, and seven children in the last couple of years have taken their lives.”

He said that if a child commits suicide after this type of abuse it could be treated as homicide.

In a message to offenders, Mr Baker added: “We will come after you. You aren’t beyond reach. Click by click you are drawing us closer, every time you share an image you draw us closer.”

Ceop said warning signs that a child has been subject to this abuse could involve them becoming aggressive and withdrawn, as well as self-harming.

Blackmail can be reported to the NSPCC on 0800 3280904 or to police. Reports of abuse can also be made at the Ceop website www.ceop.police.uk.