A teenager from south Wales took his own life after falling victim to a sextortion blackmail scam linked to a large-scale operation in the Ivory Coast, an inquest has heard.
Background of the Victim
Cai Davies, 18, from Pontypridd, died on June 3 last year after sending messages to someone he believed to be a woman with romantic interest, but who turned out to be scammers operating from the Ivory Coast. Cai had significant mental health difficulties after both his parents died. His mother died by suicide when he was four, and his father died from sepsis in 2013.
Cai was placed into care as a child and later raised by his grandparents. He struggled with ADHD, behavioural issues, and turned to drugs, including cannabis, alcohol, ketamine, and cocaine, from age 12. He had previously taken an overdose in 2024 and was under CAMHS until age 18.
The Sextortion Scam
On May 29 last year, Cai received a Facebook message from someone using the name Melissa Calvert, later identified as a fake account. The conversation quickly turned sexual, and Cai sent intimate photos. The blackmailer then threatened to release the images to his family and friends and post them on YouTube unless he paid a significant sum.
DC Jack Cotton, a criminal investigator, told the inquest the scam was part of a large-scale operation in the Ivory Coast. He said IP address details and phone numbers traced the account there. The blackmailer claimed they had posted the images, but no evidence was found.
Events Leading to Death
After a disagreement at home, Cai was asked to leave on May 28. He returned on May 30, and his family discovered him in his attic room at around 6pm. He was in a critical condition and rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where he suffered serious brain damage. He was transferred to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Pontyclun and died on June 3.
His brother Ethan Davies said Cai appeared to be struggling more than usual before his death. He believed drug abuse and the loss of his parents were the main reasons, but the sextortion may have contributed.
Coroner's Findings
Coroner Rachel Knight concluded that Cai's death was by suicide, with a medical cause of hypoxic brain injury. She said it was more likely than not that personal stress and becoming a victim of the sextortion scam more than minimally contributed to his death.
Ms Knight highlighted a potential lack of education about sextortion blackmail in the UK. She said she would send a Regulation 28 report to the Minister for the Department of Culture Media & Sport and the education minister, as well as their Welsh counterparts, to consider whether sufficient public knowledge exists about such scams.
DC Cotton urged the public to be aware of unsolicited messages on social media, especially if conversations quickly turn sexual and request intimate photos. He said no prosecution could be brought due to the scammers' location in the Ivory Coast.
