Overview
- Justin Swaddle, who pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court on July 2, was jailed for two years on Monday and will be placed on the National Sex Offenders Register with a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
- The UK National Crime Agency identified 117 female victims aged 13 to 17 linked to his offences and found indecent images on his devices showing children aged about 3 to 17.
- Investigators recovered messages showing Swaddle used aliases such as 'Epstein', 'Rugen' and 'Moscow' to groom victims on Discord, Telegram and Snapchat and to threaten them into sending sexual material.
- The NCA began its probe in January 2024, uncovered hundreds of sexual conversations and worked with partners in the USA, Canada, Australia, Norway and New Zealand to locate and safeguard victims.
- Police say the case highlights the threat from loosely organised Com groups that reward young offenders with status for escalating abuse, and it builds on prior Europol-led actions and arrests that have driven ongoing international investigations.