Online Child Sexual Abuse
TOEX was approached by South Wales Police to assist with an investigation involving the sharing of child sexual abuse material through a Snapchat account.
The account was followed by multiple local school children, who were using it to distribute explicit images, including nude photos of their peers, boyfriends, and girlfriends. Once images were submitted to the account, they were broadcast to the account's followers through its ‘Story’ feature.
As the account gained popularity, it began to invite more children to become ‘friends’, significantly increasing the reach of the images. As more children became aware of the account, the explicit content began to draw the attention of concerned parents. Despite being reported to Snapchat multiple times, the account was continuously taken down, only to be re-established under various new versions. In total, investigators found at least 15 variations of the same account.
The TOEX Response
The primary objective for TOEX was to trace the children impacted by the Snapchat account as well as their peers, in a bid to identify the offenders behind these accounts. The team were also tasked with looking at whether there were any cross-border issues, as a similar account had been reported in the Dyfed-Powys police force area.
Using police data and analytical software, TOEX conducted a thorough network analysis, mapping the relationships between the impacted children, their schools, associates, and any related intelligence, allowing the team to identify patterns and pinpoint key individuals involved.
As a result of the detailed analysis, TOEX identified two males for further investigation regarding the distribution of child sexual abuse material. One of the offenders was arrested in connection with malicious communications and blackmail offences and remains on police bail, pending further enquiries.
The investigation remains ongoing in order to identify further offenders and/or criminal activity.
The officer in the case commented: “This is amazing to see it like this on paper with the links rather than trying to trawl through a large number of occurrences. Thanks again, saved me and [Officer] a lot of time and identified someone that we had missed also.”
The case highlights the ongoing challenges posed by social media platforms in cases of online exploitation and the importance of a collaborative, data-driven approach to tackling these threats. By piecing together intelligence and conducting an in-depth analysis, TOEX was able to disrupt harmful online content, preventing further children’s involvement, and contributing to broader efforts to address child exploitation online.