Sexual assault victim groomed online at 13 by man posing as female model becomes family lawyer

A woman who was sexually assaulted after being groomed online by a man posing as a female model has urged other victims to speak out, stressing: ‘It’s never too late to tell somebody.’

Sophie*, then 13, struck up a conversation with the predator after he told her she was pretty and could have a career in modelling.

After several hours of speaking, during which Sophie sent over a topless picture and shared her contact details, the man turned up at her house the next day and attacked her.

Feeling ‘physically and mentally dirty’, Sophie decided to keep quiet about the assault, but months later she was contacted by the police after they charged the culprit for other child abuse cases.

A woman who was sexually assaulted after being groomed online by a man posing as a female model has urged other victims to speak out

The attacker was convicted on multiple accounts of child abuse and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Now 29, Sophie has just qualified as a family lawyer, having felt compelled to go into that area of law as a result of her ordeal.

She shares her story today as the government published its plans to tackle illegal online content and activity.  

The Online Harms White Paper is designed to crack down on terrorist propaganda and child abuse and will force tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google to clean up harmful material on their platforms.

Speaking anonymously in a powerful video shared by the Home Office, Sophie recalls how over the course of the online conversation, they discussed her life, family and friends.

Speaking anonymously in a powerful video shared by the Home Office, Sophie recalls how over the course of the conversation, she and the perpetrator discussed her life, family and friends

Speaking anonymously in a powerful video shared by the Home Office, Sophie recalls how over the course of the conversation, she and the perpetrator discussed her life, family and friends

After several hours of speaking, during which Sophie sent over a topless picture and shared her contact details, the man turned up at her house the next day and attacked her

After several hours of speaking, during which Sophie sent over a topless picture and shared her contact details, the man turned up at her house the next day and attacked her

Believing she was speaking to a female model, Sophie said: ‘She told that me I was pretty and that I could be a model like her.

‘She said she’d done topless modelling and you earned more money and got more work for it, so she asked me to send a photo of me topless.

‘By this point she had asked me for my contact details.’

When the man turned up at her house the following day, Sophie said her initial reaction was ‘utter panic’.

‘I was so terrified because here was this much older, much bigger man stood there in my bedroom,’ she recalled.

‘He sexually assaulted me, he did things to me, he made me do things to him and he took photos of it throughout.

‘He was telling me, “If you tell anyone about this, I’m going to make sure everyone sees all of these pictures.”

‘I felt physically and mentally so dirty.’

Afterwards Sophie decided against telling anyone, fearing she would be ‘blamed’, and sank into a deep depression during which she self-harmed.

Sophie shares her story today as the government published its plans to tackle illegal online content and activity

Sophie shares her story today as the government published its plans to tackle illegal online content and activity

It was only when police contacted her while investigating the criminal for other child abuse offences that she opened up about her ordeal and her attacker was brought to justice.

With the help of the Marie Collins Foundation, Sophie has been able to move on with her life and now helps others who have faced similar harrowing situations. 

In the UK, the National Crime Agency estimate 80,000 individuals represent a sexual threat to children, and 400 people a month are being arrested for offences related to online child sexual exploitation and abuse, while more than 500 children are being safeguarded.

Project Arachnid, a web-crawler that can trawl the internet to identify webpages with suspected abuse content, has analysed around 51 billion images and 1.3 billion URLs for suspected child sexual abuse material and issued more than 800,000 take down notices.

In the UK, the National Crime Agency estimate 80,000 individuals represent a sexual threat to children, and 400 people a month are being arrested for offences related to online child sexual exploitation and abuse

In the UK, the National Crime Agency estimate 80,000 individuals represent a sexual threat to children, and 400 people a month are being arrested for offences related to online child sexual exploitation and abuse

The government’s latest proposal has been hailed a victory by online safety campaigners. 

It suggests companies could be wiped from internet search results and app stores if they fall foul of the law. In the most serious cases they could be banned from the internet altogether. 

Under the new rules, any website which allows users to post content will have a legal ‘duty of care’ to all users. 

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said: ‘Social networks have failed to prioritise children’s safety. It’s high time they were forced to act through this legally binding duty.’ 

But critics raised fears the measures threaten freedom of speech. Ex-Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said the proposals risk dragging Britons into a ‘draconian censorship regime’ in the mould of China, Russia and North Korea.

He added: ‘This mooted new UK regulator must not give the despots an excuse to claim that they are simply following an example set by Britain.’

Last night the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the White Paper had ‘no intention’ of impacting editorial content. 

*Names have been changed to protect identities.