Callum Dare, 26, from Talbot Green, Wales, has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for his role as an administrator on a dark web network that encouraged 'swatting' incidents in the UK, USA, and Canada. Swatting involves making false emergency reports to trigger an armed police response against victims, often for thrill or notoriety.
FBI investigation leads to Cardiff court
The case began when the FBI's field office in Memphis, Tennessee, contacted South Wales Police in 2019 about a dark web website called Doxbin and a chat channel named DeadNet. These platforms hosted a network of individuals interested in swatting and doxing—publishing personal details online to harass victims. The network maintained lists of targets, with a firearm emoji next to names to indicate they had been swatted.
Prosecutor Emma Harris told Cardiff Crown Court that Dare, operating under pseudonyms 'Chans' and 'KT', actively encouraged others to participate in swatting. He posted compilation videos of armed police responding to false reports, including footage of a woman who had been swatted saying, 'You're sick in the head... once they track back to you, whoever you are, about the false reports about someone being stabbed, you better believe I'll be pressing charges.'
Hoaxes caused evacuations and panic
On December 17, 2018, a hoax caller with a muffled voice contacted Wales Online, claiming there were nail bombs and hostages at the Sandringham Hotel in Cardiff's St Mary Street. The hotel was evacuated and the area cordoned off, causing 'disruption and panic,' according to the court. A compilation video of news coverage of the incident, set to a racially offensive version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', was found on Dare's devices.
Another incident targeted the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where a caller with a Russian accent claimed bombs were placed under seats in a lecture hall. The university was evacuated, but no bombs were found. A third hoax occurred at an American university during protests against far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos.
Dare's role and additional crimes
Dare took credit for a swatting incident involving a live streamer whose home was raided by a US SWAT team. He also targeted a coder in Canada, leading to armed police responding to a false report of a shooting and hostage situation. The FBI obtained chat logs from Doxbin and DeadNet, tracing Dare's usernames to Wales via a PayPal account and email address.
Upon arrest, officers seized electronic devices containing a ZIP file named 'The Man in Onion,' which held complex phishing fraud software designed to steal cryptocurrency from dark web marketplace users. Dare pleaded guilty to encouraging or assisting malicious communications and possessing articles for fraud.
Mitigation and sentencing
Defence barrister Peter Donnison argued that Dare was a teenager at the time of the offences, became involved through his interest in coding, and has severe ADHD, autism, and a low borderline IQ. He called the delay in the case 'extraordinary' and said Dare considers the offences 'the biggest regret of his life.'
Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke stated: 'You intended on causing harm which could have been widespread and serious, particularly in countries where law enforcement and members of the public regularly carry guns.' She acknowledged Dare's difficult background—including childhood abuse and neglect—but imposed an immediate custodial sentence as a deterrent.
Louisa Robertson of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Callum Dare put people in danger by encouraging the triggering of armed police responses, for his own thrills. When false alarms like this are raised, it is often multiple emergency services that are involved, drawing them away from people who genuinely need them.' She added that international cooperation allowed prosecutors to build a strong case.
