37 children aged 10–16 sexually groomed and blackmailed via WhatsApp and Snapchat message recordings leading to 69 offence convictions and eight-year youth prison sentence
Summary
Cory Jones, 19, befriended 37 children aged between 10 and 16 on WhatsApp and Snapchat, gaining their trust before asking them to send explicit photos and videos. He then blackmailed the children, threatening to post their messages online if they did not comply with his demands. Jones used a recording app to capture Snapchat messages that would otherwise disappear, and over 172 indecent images of children were found on his phone after his arrest. The court heard that Jones also distributed Category B and C indecent images to an unidentified Snapchat user. Five victim impact statements were read in court, detailing emotional distress, self-blame, and loss of privacy among the victims and their families. Jones pleaded guilty to 69 offences, including sexual communication with children, blackmail, and possession of indecent images, and was sentenced to eight years in a young offenders institute. He was also placed on the sexual offenders register for life and given a sexual harm prevention order.
Incident Details
Harms involving the exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of minors, including CSAM and grooming.
Online contact by adults seeking to build trust with minors for exploitation.
Child sexual abuse material — the creation, distribution, or possession of such content.
Sources
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