Source: The National Crime Agency (NCA) published on this website Tuesday 11 August 2026 by Jill Powell

A man from Leeds who forced more than 100 victims into sexual activity and self-harm as part of a Com group, including them carving his online username into their bodies, has been sentenced to two years in prison after a National Crime Agency investigation.

NCA officers started an investigation into Justin Swaddle, 20, from Leeds, in January 2024.

Swaddle was first arrested by West Yorkshire Police in October 2023 for offences including possession, making and distribution of indecent images.

His digital devices were seized and his online presence was investigated. Swaddle was active across social media platforms including Snapchat, Telegram and Discord using usernames including 'Epstein', 'Rugen' and 'Moscow'.

NCA officers took over the investigation and examined the content of his phone and computer, finding hundreds of conversations, all of which involved young females and were of a sexual nature.

Investigators found Swaddle, who was 17 at the time of the offending, was operating in a Com group, a community of people online committing criminality including coercing victims to physically harm or sexually abuse themselves.

Com groups have an international membership and use online channels from messaging apps to gaming platforms to commit their crimes.

Offenders and victims are usually in the same groups, and offenders are usually not motivated by money or sexual gratification but by the status and notoriety that comes with sharing shocking content with other members.

The NCA identified a total of 117 female victims worldwide, aging from 13 to 17, and with eight in the UK that Swaddle had been in communication with.

One victim, 17, said she had met Swaddle in November 2022 through Discord before moving to Snapchat where conversations escalated to be sexual and self-harm was discussed. Swaddle requested nude images of the victim and told her to carve his username into her body.

She said Swaddle had obtained her name, address and school details. The victim stated she did what he wanted because she didn't want to upset him and that his mood changed if she did not comply.

She became aware that he had recorded calls where sexual activity had taken place and shared them with a group, and said that he had threatened to use the details about where she lived and went to school so that she would provide further images and videos.

Telegram messages recovered from Swaddle's device showed he had attempted to incite a child to sexually abuse a younger child and record it for him, threatening to leak indecent images if further content was not received.

Numerous images were found on his device showing victims with self-harm injuries, including Swaddle's aliases being carved into their skin, and indecent images of children in Categories A to C, with A being the most severe.

Officers estimated the children shown in images recovered from his devices ranged from three to 17 and several showed that the acts were directed or encouraged by Swaddle.

Using the NCA's International Liaison Officer network, investigators worked with law enforcement partners in the USA, Canada, Australia, Norway and New Zealand to speak to and safeguard victims.

Swaddle was charged with a number of child sexual abuse offences and blackmail. He pleaded guilty to all offences at Leeds Crown Court on 2 July.

He was sentenced at the same court today (10 August) to two years in prison. He will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and is required to sign the National Sex Offenders Register.

HHJ Kelson KC described Swaddle as 'a predatory shark preying on children swimming in the dark waters of the internet' remarking it was 'one of the more extreme cases' seen.

Danielle Pownall Operations Manager from 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.

"He gained the trust of his victims, before collecting private information about them so he could threaten to share their intimate images or report them to their school or parents to incite further content.

"While the number of people involved in Com groups are relatively small, the impact it has on victims is high and long-lasting, as Swaddle's offending shows.

"We are extremely grateful for the assistance of West Yorkshire Police, our international partners and specialist prosecutors at the CPS in bringing a dangerous offender to justice.

"The NCA is coordinating the response to Com groups in the UK, working with a range of law enforcement, health and safeguarding partners to better understand pathways into offending and identify opportunities for prevention and intervention."

Children and young people are better protected when they have adults around them who they feel they can trust, talk to and won't be blamed by. Regular, open and honest conversations create environments where young people can disclose concerns.

Education professionals can find a range of lesson plans and resources to protect under 18s from online sexual abuse at: www.ceopeducation.co.uk/professionals

Parents and carers can find information, advice and resources to use at home with their children at: www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents

Under 18s concerned about their own sexual behaviour or thoughts can find help and advice at: www.shorespace.org.uk

The Kids Online Safety Campaign provides guidance for parents on how to talk to their children about online content, support critical thinking and their ability to spot misleading or false content - www.kidsonlinesafety.campaign.gov.uk

Source: Northamptonshire Police published on this website Friday 7 August 2026 by Jill Powell

A 38-year-old man who was issued with a Sexual Risk Order (SRO) while under investigation for online child sex offences has been jailed for more than four years.

Liam Pink, formerly Kettering, was issued with the civil order in October 2022 at Northampton Magistrates’ Court which are used to manage those who pose a sexual harm risk to the public.

Northamptonshire Police applied for the SRO after Pink’s arrest on suspicion of attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in a sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

This followed allegations from an online activist group that between August 12 and 28, Pink had engaged in an online conversation, exchanging explicit messages of a sexual nature, with a 12-year-old girl. However, she didn’t exist and was in fact a decoy.

The five-year SRO was issued with certain conditions he was required to abide by, including not having unsupervised contact or communication with any child under the age of 16, not using any social media account unless in the name of Liam Pink and not using any device capable of accessing the internet without notifying police.

During a routine visit on April 9 this year, officers from Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO team, which closely manage sexual and violent offenders, arrested Pink after an examination of his mobile phone found that he had breached the SRO three times.

Between January 1 and March 31, there was evidence to suggest that he had had contact with a child under the age of two without the parent’s knowledge of his order. He had also failed to notify police about a social media account that he had set up using a different name.

Pink was subsequently charged with the three breaches of the SRO as well as the online child sex offences that he was under investigation for and on June 3, he pleaded guilty to all five offences at Northampton Magistrates’ Court.

His case was sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentencing, and on July 13, he was jailed for four years and four months and issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Risk Management Officer Libbie Stiff from the Force’s MOSOVO Team, said: “We take an absolute zero-tolerance approach to situations like this. Liam Pink’s repeat offending showed that he had a blatant disregard for the sanctions imposed by the court, and I am pleased that this sentence reflects the serious risk that he poses.

“I also hope this case reassures the public that we are working proactively to continue to keep children in Northamptonshire safe from online predators and to bring anyone who threatens that safety to justice.”

Source: Kent Police published on this website Monday 10 August 2026 by Jill Powell

Speedy investigative work by officers helped identify a victim of a repeat sex offender from Tonbridge whilst he was in custody.

Luis Clifton was arrested on 22 April 2026 on suspicion of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), following an unannounced visit by officers to his home address.

Devices were seized including a phone, which he was not permitted to have.

Whilst he was being interviewed in custody, specialist officers trawled through his phone and found the 22 year old had been communicating with an underage teenage girl on a social media app.

This was a further breach of his SHPO and the investigators pursued immediate lines to identify the vulnerable victim. She was contacted along with her parents and provided evidence of further offences.

Speedy investigative work by officers helped identify a victim of a repeat sex offender from Tonbridge whilst he was in custody.

Luis Clifton was arrested on 22 April 2026 on suspicion of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), following an unannounced visit by officers to his home address.

Devices were seized including a phone, which he was not permitted to have.

Whilst he was being interviewed in custody, specialist officers trawled through his phone and found the 22 year old had been communicating with an underage teenage girl on a social media app.

This was a further breach of his SHPO and the investigators pursued immediate lines to identify the vulnerable victim. She was contacted along with her parents and provided evidence of further offences.

Source: Ofsted published on this website Thursday 6 August 2026 by Jill Powell

The directors of Catalyst Care Limited were repeatedly warned by Ofsted that they were breaking the law yet continued operating contrary to the legal requirements for registration. During this time, the homes received over £1.7 million in payments from placing authorities.

Catalyst Care Limited, and its directors, Davidson Lynch-Shyllon and Miriam Ekathor, pleaded guilty to all charges at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 9 March 2026. On 4 August 2026, they were fined a total of £92,400 for operating 3 unregistered homes in Kent between October 2022 and April 2025, providing accommodation for 9 children. They were also ordered to pay victim surcharges totalling £2,960 and costs of £17,250.

Lynch-Shyllon and Ekathor were also disqualified from carrying on and/or managing or having a financial interest in a children’s home.

All children’s homes in England must register with Ofsted and carrying on or managing a home without registration is a criminal offence. Unregistered children’s homes operate outside of independent and regulatory oversight, meaning the children placed there have no assurance of safe or suitable care. There are no guaranteed checks on staff or living conditions, or accountability when things go wrong. Worryingly, many children placed in illegal homes are often those with the most complex needs.

Criminal investigations into these places are complex and the legal threshold for prosecution is high. Yesterday’s case is the first successful prosecution of its kind but follows hundreds of warnings issued by Ofsted over the use of unregistered provision, which has grown partly because not enough registered homes are in the right location or have staff with skills to effectively care for children with complex needs. Illegal unregistered providers frequently charge local authorities exorbitant fees, further exploiting a system already under strain.

Ofsted has recently been granted new powers through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act to help tackle illegal children’s homes. They include the introduction of financial penalties, which will allow Ofsted to issue fines to illegal children’s homes.

Boosted by increased funding, Ofsted is greatly expanding its Unregistered Social Care team to identify and investigate unregistered providers and pursue enforcement action, including prosecuting, where necessary.

Ofsted is also consulting on changes to its inspections of local authorities’ children’s services, including how it evaluates local authorities’ use of unregistered children’s homes. Measures proposed include making use of illegal placements a limiting criterion in the framework for inspecting local authority children’s services (ILACS), meaning that a local authority would not be meeting the ‘expected standard’ in the proposed ‘impact of leaders’ evaluation area.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver said:

It is heartbreaking that so many vulnerable children are placed in unregistered children’s homes where we have no assurance that they are safe or receiving the care they need and deserve.

This outcome marks an important milestone in our efforts to tackle illegal children’s homes and sends a clear message that operating outside the law will have consequences. We are determined to make increased use of prosecutions to tackle the offenders running these settings. We are currently consulting on proposals to downgrade local authorities who commission these illegal homes.