Justin Swaddle, a 20-year-old from Meanwood, Leeds, has been jailed for two years after forcing more than 100 girls to self-harm and perform sexual acts online, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has confirmed. Swaddle, who was 17 at the time of the offences, targeted 117 female victims aged 13 to 17 across the world, including eight in the UK, using the usernames 'Epstein', 'Rugen', and 'Moscow' on platforms like Discord, Telegram, and Snapchat.
Campaign of abuse
Swaddle operated within a 'Com' group, loose online communities where members share extreme graphic material and manipulate victims to commit sexual and violent child abuse. These groups are primarily composed of teenage boys seeking status through increasingly severe crimes. Swaddle's devices contained images of victims with self-harm injuries, including his aliases carved into their skin.
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.'
How the abuse unfolded
One 17-year-old victim recounted meeting Swaddle on Discord in November 2022, after which they moved to Snapchat. The conversation turned sexual and escalated to discussions of self-harm. Swaddle requested nude images and demanded she carve his username into her body. He obtained her name, address, and school details, and threatened to use them if she did not provide further images and videos. She also discovered he had recorded calls of sexual activity and shared them with a group.
Telegram messages revealed Swaddle attempted to incite a child to sexually abuse a younger child and record it for him. His devices contained indecent images of children in categories A to C (A being the most severe), showing children aged between three and 17, with several indicating he directed or encouraged the acts.
Investigation and charges
Swaddle was first arrested by West Yorkshire Police in October 2023 for possession, making, and distribution of indecent images. The NCA began its investigation in January 2024, uncovering hundreds of sexual conversations involving young females. Investigators collaborated with law enforcement in the USA, Canada, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand to identify and safeguard victims.
Swaddle admitted two counts of inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity (with and without penetration), blackmail, 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. He was sentenced on Monday.
