A depraved 18-year-old has been jailed after coercing a vulnerable young girl into self-harming and performing humiliating acts to satisfy a group of online predators. Elijah Palmer waged a prolonged campaign of horrific abuse against his victim after encountering her on the popular children's game Roblox.
The young girl was compelled to produce explicit images of herself and self-harm on camera, with Palmer using blackmail and threats against her family to maintain control. Palmer had previously admitted to multiple counts of creating and possessing child sexual abuse material, as well as perverting the course of justice, coercing someone into sexual activity without consent, and encouraging severe self-harm.
Sheffield Crown Court heard that Palmer was connected to the notorious '764' group – an online collective specializing in sextortion and sadomasochism, where members deliberately prey on vulnerable victims to extort 'content' for sharing within their network. Palmer initially contacted his victim through Roblox before shifting their conversation to the Discord chat platform.
Initially, his requests seemed harmless, but over time, he became increasingly demanding, ultimately resorting to threats unless she sent him nude images, evidence of self-harming, and documentation of various degrading acts. To maintain control, Palmer resorted to menacing threats against her family, employed blackmail tactics, and concocted a plan for a hoax bomb threat targeting a local school, claiming it would be linked to her if she refused to comply.
Following the victim's report to South Yorkshire Police, detectives discovered Palmer's connections to the '764' group. This depraved online community encourages members to compete in manipulating victims into sharing explicit material, including self-harm or sexual acts, which are then circulated among the group to gain notoriety. Members frequently create multiple online personas to harass their victims, and Palmer used various aliases on different social media platforms to conceal his identity.
To further humiliate and intimidate his victim, Palmer claimed to be sharing the explicit content he had coerced from her with his associates in the 764 group. In June 2025, police apprehended him, seizing his devices and releasing him on bail while their investigation continued. However, Palmer breached his bail conditions by attempting to contact his victim in an effort to persuade her to retract her statement. He was subsequently charged with perverting the course of justice.
During an initial police interview, Palmer denied any involvement in the offences, claiming he had joined the 764 network for the thrill but had since left. However, through close collaboration between police and prosecutors, a robust body of evidence was built, leading to Palmer eventually pleading guilty to his crimes.
Elijah Palmer, 18, admitted to encouraging or assisting serious self-harm, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, creating indecent photographs of children, producing indecent photographs of a child, possessing an extreme pornographic image, and perverting the course of justice. At Sheffield Crown Court, he received a sentence of 4 years and 9 months, with an additional 4 years on extended licence.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Harrison stated: "Technology can be an extremely useful tool, but unfortunately we know that a small number of people look to abuse online platforms. The introduction of the Online Safety Act in 2023 is allowing us to investigate and prosecute those who choose to cause harm using these online platforms. Offenders may think they can hide behind usernames on these online platforms, but this is far from the truth, we will find them. Victims of these crimes are never to blame, and I want to reassure anyone who may think they have been a victim that you will be listened to and supported."
Prosecutors were able to bring charges against Palmer for the harm inflicted, utilizing new provisions of the Online Safety Act which criminalize those who incite others to self-harm online. Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, Caroline Deacon, commented: "This was a deeply disturbing case involving the calculated and deliberate targeting of a vulnerable young victim. Palmer blackmailed and threatened his victim, demanding increasingly degrading acts to serve himself and build his reputation amongst other members of the 764 group. The Online Safety Act introduced new offences which allow us to prosecute those who encourage others to self-harm online. This case demonstrates exactly why that legislation was necessary, and that the CPS will not hesitate to use these powers where the evidence supports it. In close collaboration with South Yorkshire Police, we constructed a compelling case based on the victim's account and digital evidence recovered from Palmer's devices, leading to his subsequent guilty plea. We also applied for bad character evidence of a similar pattern of offending against another victim in the United States to demonstrate a similar pattern of offending to the court. I hope this outcome provides some degree of justice to the victim in this case, who demonstrated immense courage in coming forward. I hope her bravery can inspire other victims to come forward in the knowledge the criminal justice system will take them seriously."
