A 20-year-old man, Justin Swaddle, has been jailed for two years for a harrowing campaign of online abuse that forced 117 girls, aged 13 to 17, into self-harm and sexual acts. Swaddle, from Meanwood, Leeds, was 17 when he began grooming victims on platforms like Snapchat, Discord, and Telegram under usernames including 'Epstein', 'Rugen', and 'Moscow'. The National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed that his devices contained alarming images of victims self-harming and carving his aliases into their skin.
How the Abuse Unfolded
Swaddle's method involved gaining the trust of young and vulnerable victims worldwide, then collecting private information to threaten them. Danielle Pownall, Operations Manager at the NCA, stated: 'Justin Swaddle targeted young and vulnerable victims all over the world to abuse and scare them into carrying out shocking self-harm and sexual activity, purely to gain popularity with his peers online.' He would demand explicit images and videos, threatening to share intimate content or report victims to their schools or parents if they refused.
One victim recounted meeting Swaddle on Discord in November 2022 before moving to Snapchat, where conversations quickly turned sexual and escalated to discussions about self-harm. Swaddle obtained her name, home address, and school details, and shared recordings of calls where sexual activity occurred with a chat group. He then used this information to blackmail her into sending more explicit material.
Global Reach and Severity
The NCA investigation, which began in January 2024, uncovered hundreds of sexual conversations with young women. Swaddle's devices contained indecent images of children in both Category A (the most severe) and Category C, with detectives estimating the children depicted ranged from three to 17 years old. Some images showed Swaddle had directed or encouraged the children to commit sexual or harmful acts.
Eight of Swaddle's victims were in the UK, while others were identified in the USA, Canada, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand. Investigators worked with international law enforcement partners to safeguard these victims. Swaddle was first arrested by West Yorkshire Police in October 2023 for possession, making, and distribution of indecent images, leading to the NCA's deeper probe.
Com Networks and Rising Threat
Swaddle's offending is linked to so-called 'Com groups'—online communities that share extreme graphic material and manipulate victims into violent and sexual abuse. Reports of these networks increased sixfold in the UK between 2022 and 2024, involving thousands of users and victims. Pownall noted: 'While the number of people involved in Com groups are relatively small, the impact it has on victims is high and long-lasting.'
The NCA is coordinating the UK response to these groups, working with law enforcement, health, and safeguarding partners to understand pathways into offending and identify prevention opportunities. Swaddle admitted two counts of inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity (with and without penetration), blackmail, making indecent photographs of children in categories A, B, and C, possessing extreme pornographic images, and possessing a prohibited image of a child.
Pownall added: 'We are extremely grateful for the assistance of West Yorkshire Police, our international partners and specialist prosecutors at the CPS in bringing a dangerous offender to justice.' The case highlights the severe and lasting harm caused by such online exploitation, underscoring the need for continued vigilance and international cooperation.
