Man jailed for three years over Snapchat sextortion

A antheral who pleaded blameworthy to trying to blackmail 16 women into sending him intersexual videos and images has been sentenced to much than 3 years successful prison.

Christopher Morrow, 27, of Rochester Road successful eastbound Belfast, appeared astatine Belfast Crown Court connected Monday facing 16 counts of blackmail.

The suspect admitted making unwarranted demands with menaces for intersexual videos and images from 16 idiosyncratic women.

The justice said Morrow sought "to inflict maximum distress connected the victims".

One of his victims told BBC News NI that Morrow "thrived disconnected maine feeling shame and embarrassment".

Freya, which is not her existent name, said: "He had truthful overmuch control, each clip I heard the Snapchat notification I threw up, it was a horrible time.

"He was assertive and I was wholly isolated."

Earlier successful court, Judge Kerr sentenced Morrow to a full of 3 years and 4 months successful jail.

He work retired the details of each lawsuit of blackmail, including graphic details of the "customised intersexual videos" that Morrow demanded from victims.

The tribunal heard that Morrow met each of the women connected Tinder, and past chatted to them connected Snapchat wherever intimate images were initially shared connected a consensual basis.

Having gleaned details of the women's lives from their conversations, sometimes lasting implicit a month, helium would past endanger to stock the intersexual images helium had with friends, household oregon enactment colleagues if they did not nonstop him further, sometimes hardcore, pornographic videos and images.

Freya is 1 of 3 victims who person spoken to BBC News NI astir their experiences with Morrow.

She said she met him connected Tinder and that they chatted connected Snapchat.

"He seemed nice, a mean guy, helium was precise convincing, showing maine what I felt was genuine interest," she said.

He uploaded videos of idiosyncratic Freya took to beryllium Morrow.

"He asked for pictures and I sent him 1 selfie successful a bra and that’s erstwhile helium changed.

"He would connection asking for truly explicit pictures and videos. He threatened maine by saying helium would scope retired to my household and archer them I was selling nudes and videos online."

She said helium recovered her household members connected societal media.

"He threatened: 'You person 5 minutes earlier I nonstop messages to your family." And erstwhile I didn’t reply helium sent an alarm timepiece emoji and told me: 'Time’s moving out.'

"I deliberation the information for him was the thrill of the harassment, the power helium had implicit me. He got a hole disconnected the thought helium was forcing women to bash things."

Grace, not her existent name, told BBC News NI she came into interaction with him done Tinder.

"We talked for a portion and everything was great. I thought I was learning worldly astir him. Then it moved to Snapchat, aft talking determination for a portion and gathering up trust," she added.

She said the threatening messages started aft photos were exchanged.

"I didn’t privation anyone other to find out. I thought I would person to woody with it myself until the constabulary contacted me."

Grace said she felt self-conscious and embarrassed.

"I person spot issues with dating online now. I consciousness similar I perpetually person my defender up.

"I felt truthful aggravated with myself that I could fto thing similar this hap to me.

“I deliberation his information was to summation powerfulness and control. He wanted maine to consciousness intimidated and astir frightened of him."

Another woman, Sophie, besides not her existent name, said helium started a countdown truthful she had a infinitesimal to nonstop him what helium wanted oregon everything would beryllium sent to her household members.

"I was begging him not to bash it and helium had said each I needed to bash was play on for 5 minutes and we would beryllium done," she told BBC News NI.

"I honestly don’t recognize however tin anyone person the information to embarrass, to degrade, to blackmail a woman.

"This has impacted maine truthful overmuch I person mislaid spot successful anyone. My intelligence wellness has taken specified a dip with this with terrible anxiousness and depression.

"I privation different women to cognize they shouldn’t beryllium ashamed to speech astir these kinds of crimes it to anyone."

Freya said she spoke retired to rise awareness.

"I would say, you can’t beryllium 100% definite you’re talking to the idiosyncratic successful the representation oregon video, that’s the scary part."

At an earlier sentencing proceeding Christopher Morrow's defence barrister told the justice that astatine the clip of the offences his narration was going done "emotional difficulties" and helium "was not having a intersexual beingness portion his fiancée was pregnant".

He added that Morrow, who besides pleaded blameworthy to possessing an utmost pornographic image, was "extremely remorseful".

Morrow, who sat with his eyes downcast passim the hearing, had astatine archetypal denied each the charges, but yet admitted the blackmail.

The justice said Morrow had "no information for the consequences" of what helium had done and had prioritised "his ain needs and wellbeing implicit others".

The PSNI began to analyse successful 2023 aft respective women made reports regarding a antheral named Joseph they had met connected Tinder.

The illustration representation that Morrow utilized to catfish the victims was really the representation of a antheral based successful Cambridge.

Judge Kerr said the offending went "beyond specified intersexual gratification".