South Wales Police
The conviction of a blackmailer who posed as a 13-year-old girl to extort money from paedophiles led to a worldwide inquiry to track his victims.
Lee Phillip Rees, 47, was jailed for nine years after demanding about £40,000 from men online.
As a result, South Wales Police shared intelligence with most other forces in the UK and others in 118 countries.
Rees from Roath, Cardiff, was jailed in June but details of his sentence have only just been released.
The inquiry involved international police organisations Interpol and Europol, and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and has led to a large number of arrests.
Det Insp Paul Peters said examination of Rees's computer showed a large amount of data on a "significant number of people spread across the world".
The organised crime unit for south, west and mid Wales, known as Tarian, sent details to police across the globe, with officers drafted in from other forces for two months.
'Particularly repugnant'
Rees admitted 31 counts of blackmail, distributing indecent photographs of children and computer hacking when his case went before Cardiff Crown Court.
At the time, Judge Eleri Rees said blackmail was "particularly repugnant" and rejected the idea Rees was on a "moral crusade" to trap paedophiles.
On sentencing Rees, she told him: "Having read all of the evidence and, in particular, the chat logs I have reached the conclusion that you derived much enjoyment and satisfaction in controlling and manipulating these individuals, preying on their fears and extracting for yourself significant financial gain."
The court heard that in 2011, after Rees separated from his wife, she and her new partner found a file on his laptop which they suspected contained indecent images and handed over to police.
Lewis Clarke
Rees admitted to police he pretended to be a teenage girl in chat rooms and waited for paedophiles to contact him.
He then encouraged them to expose themselves on webcams and posted their details, pictures and conversations on a site he created.
Judge Rees said the defendants were told their details would be taken down only if they paid a "fine", usually in Amazon vouchers.
The defendant told officers he would "terrify the living daylights" out of his victims.
'Paedo hunt'
Police also found conversations where he boasted about his crimes and encouraged other people to "paedo hunt".
He claimed he made about £1,200 in one month.
Rees used a remote access tool - known as a RAT - to take control of his victims' computers, which he would search for their details and any pornographic or incriminating images.
Victims would be asked to pay £25 to £100 to have their details removed.
Police found about 400 payments and have been investigating more than 4,500 of Rees's Skype contacts.
A psychiatric report found Rees had paedophilia, but concluded that he did not need to go to hospital.
Peter Wormald, defending, said Rees's troubled childhood left him mentally and emotionally fragile, and his offences were in the context of a failing marriage and financial problems.
'Cynical'
Judge Rees said it was a "seriously aggravating factor" that, while on bail after his initial arrest, Rees offended on an even greater scale and used more sophisticated methods to hack into victims' computers.
The court heard he spent the money gained in a "cynical exercise" on holidays abroad, buying computer equipment, and sending money to friends in Thailand.
Catrin Evans, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Wales Complex Casework Unit, said: "This was a very serious and sustained set of offences.
"It is right that Rees has been made to face justice for his actions and received a significant custodial sentence."
No comments:
Post a Comment