Justin Swaddle, 20, from Leeds, has been sentenced to two years in prison after a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation found he forced more than 100 victims into sexual activity and self-harm, including carving his online username into their bodies. Judge Kelson KC described Swaddle as "a predatory shark preying on children swimming in the dark waters of the internet" and noted it was "one of the more extreme cases" seen.
Investigation uncovered hundreds of conversations
Swaddle was first arrested by West Yorkshire Police in October 2023 over possession, making and distribution of indecent images, before the case was passed to the NCA in January 2024. Police found hundreds of conversations on his phone and computer, all involving young females and of a sexual nature, across social media accounts such as Snapchat, Telegram and Discord, using usernames including 'Epstein', 'Rugen' and 'Moscow'.
Investigators found that Swaddle, who was 17 at the time of the offending, was operating in a Com group, a community of people online committing criminality, including coercing victims to physically harm or sexually abuse themselves. Com groups have international memberships and use online channels, from messaging apps to gaming platforms, to commit their crimes. Offenders and victims are usually in the same groups, and offenders are usually not motivated by money or sexual gratification but by the status and notoriety that comes with sharing shocking content with other members.
Victims worldwide identified
The NCA identified a total of 117 female victims worldwide, aged from 13 to 17, with eight in the UK with whom Swaddle had been in communication. One victim, 17, said she met Swaddle in November 2022 through Discord before moving to Snapchat, where conversations escalated to be sexual, and self-harm was discussed. Swaddle requested nude images of the victim and told her to carve his username into her body. She said he had obtained her name, address and school details, and that she did what he wanted because she didn't want to upset him and that his mood changed if she did not comply.
She became aware that he had recorded calls where sexual activity had taken place and shared them with a group, and said that he had threatened to use the details about where she lived and went to school so that she would provide further images and videos. Telegram messages recovered from Swaddle's device showed he had attempted to incite a child to sexually abuse a younger child and record it for him, threatening to leak indecent images if further content was not received. Numerous images were found on his device showing victims with self-harm injuries, including Swaddle's aliases being carved into their skin, and indecent images of children in Categories A to C, with A being the most severe. Officers estimated the children shown in images ranged from three to 17, and several showed that the acts were directed or encouraged by Swaddle.
Sentencing and NCA response
Investigators worked with law enforcement partners in the USA, Canada, Australia, Norway and New Zealand to speak to and safeguard victims. Swaddle was charged with a number of child sexual abuse offences and blackmail. He pleaded guilty to all offences at Leeds Crown Court on July 2 and was sentenced at the same court on August 10 to two years in prison. He will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and is required to sign the National Sex Offenders Register.
Danielle Pownall, Operations Manager from the NCA, said: "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 gained the trust of his victims, before collecting private information about them so he could threaten to share their intimate images or report them to their school or parents to incite further content."
She added: "While the number of people involved in Com groups are relatively small, the impact it has on victims is high and long-lasting, as Swaddle's offending shows. 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 NCA is coordinating the response to Com groups in the UK, working with a range of law enforcement, health and safeguarding partners to better understand pathways into offending and identify opportunities for prevention and intervention. The Kids Online Safety Campaign provides guidance for parents on how to talk to their children about online content and how to help them spot misleading or false content.
