A teenager who was part of an online abuse network forced girls to self-harm and perform sex acts in a campaign against more than 100 victims, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has revealed.
Offender's Background
Justin Swaddle, who was 17 at the time of his arrest but is now 20, operated in a Com group—loose online communities on platforms like Discord, Telegram, and Snapchat that share extreme graphic material and manipulate victims for sexual and violent child abuse.
Swaddle's devices contained images of victims with self-harm injuries, including his aliases—one being "Epstein"—carved into their skin.
Investigation and Victims
Swaddle, of Meanwood, Leeds, was jailed for two years on Monday (August 10) after an investigation revealed he communicated with 117 female victims aged 13 to 17, eight of whom were in the UK.
Danielle Pownall, Operations Manager at 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."
Victim Testimony
One victim, aged 17, said she met him on Discord in November 2022, and they moved to Snapchat, where the conversation became sexual and escalated to self-harm discussions. Swaddle requested nude images and that she carve his username into her body, obtaining her name, address, and school details. The victim later learned he recorded calls of sexual activity and shared them with a group, threatening to use her personal details if she didn't provide more images and videos.
Other Telegram messages showed he attempted to incite a child to sexually abuse a young child and record it, threatening to share indecent images if they didn't send more content. Detectives estimated the images on his devices showed children aged three to 17, with several indicating he directed or encouraged the acts.
Arrest and Sentencing
Swaddle was first arrested by West Yorkshire Police in October 2023 for offences including possession, making, and distribution of indecent images. The NCA began its investigation in January 2024, uncovering hundreds of sexual conversations involving young females. Investigators worked with partners in the USA, Canada, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand to safeguard victims.
Ms Pownall 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."
Swaddle admitted two counts of inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity without penetration, inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity with penetration, and blackmail. He also pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of a child in categories A, B, and C, possessing an extreme pornographic image, and possessing a prohibited image of a child.
