Scottish police to target online gangs forcing children to self-harm

“The Com” means “the community,” a shifting collection of online groups involved in abuse and exploitation. The networks are not one fixed gang. Groups named in recent cases include The 764 and CVLT. Their members are mainly teenage and young adult males, according to the article.

The groups often begin on ordinary gaming or social platforms. Members manipulate and blackmail girls, especially vulnerable girls aged 11 to 17. They may demand indecent images, threaten victims, or order them to harm themselves. Police say some perpetrators seek “kudos” or clout from peers by showing how much control they gained.

The networks are linked to sextortion, hacking, financial crimes, extremism, and online child abuse. Police describe forced self-harm as a particularly serious development. Membership changes over time, making the networks difficult to define and track. The NCA was investigating around 200 related cases in May.

Police Scotland has joined international law-enforcement efforts against online groups that groom and coerce children. Detectives are identifying Scottish victims and perpetrators, examining links between cases, and mapping how significant and widespread the threat is. The work is led in Scotland by Det Ch Insp Craig Faulds, with support from the force’s internet investigations unit.

A case flagged by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States was passed to the National Crime Agency and then Police Scotland. Detective constable Paul is examining nearly 1,000 images in that case to identify the victim and a Scottish suspect. Officers also investigate material, trace online identities, and build evidence for possible prosecutions.

There has been one arrest in Scotland and several convictions in England. The NCA said it was investigating around 200 cases in May. Police are continuing to map the networks because their membership and connections change over time.

The reported figures show a cross-border threat rather than an isolated Scottish problem. In May, the National Crime Agency said it was investigating around 200 cases involving these networks. Police Scotland had identified victims and perpetrators in Scotland, while England had already seen several convictions. International agencies were also involved in sharing evidence.

One case illustrates the potential reach. Justin Swaddle was jailed in August after blackmailing and coercing more than 100 victims into self-harm. The article also describes Com groups as targeting thousands of girls online. In another investigation, nearly 1,000 images were being reviewed to identify a victim and a Scottish perpetrator.

The figures do not provide one complete count of victims or countries. They do show activity across Scotland, England, and the United States-linked reporting chain. Police are still mapping the threat, and changing group membership makes the overall scale difficult to measure.

Police say perpetrators often start on seemingly harmless gaming platforms. These spaces can provide contact with young people before abuse becomes obvious. The conversation may then move to social media, messaging services, or online forums, where offenders can continue privately and apply pressure.

The key mechanism is gradual manipulation followed by coercion. Abusers identify vulnerabilities, persuade children to share indecent images, and may use those images for blackmail. Police say some victims are girls aged 11 to 17 and may have other vulnerabilities that offenders exploit. The goal can become total control, including orders to carry out serious self-harm.

This pathway makes detection harder because the initial contact may look ordinary. Police Scotland is investigating how victims and perpetrators connect and is mapping the networks’ significance and prevalence. The article shows that one platform is rarely the whole story; contact can shift across several services.

Online manipulation can develop into severe and lasting abuse. Police describe victims being pressured to share indecent images, then threatened or blackmailed. Some are pushed into serious self-harm. The article focuses mainly on vulnerable girls aged 11 to 17, although it does not give a complete victim profile.

In one case, a Com group allegedly directed a young girl to harm herself. Investigators were reviewing nearly 1,000 images to identify the victim and the Scottish perpetrator. Police say offenders may use extreme symbols and demands to demonstrate control and gain status among peers. The abuse can therefore combine sexual exploitation, threats, humiliation, and physical injury.

The consequences can affect victims and families who need support after the abuse. The Molly Rose Foundation helps young people and families victimised by the network. Police and prosecutors are pursuing cases across borders, while the NCA and Police Scotland continue assessing the threat.

Police describe the crimes as an evolution of online child abuse and sexual exploitation because the abuse is adapting to connected online spaces. Offenders can find children on gaming platforms, move conversations between services, and use digital material to maintain pressure. The groups also connect sexual exploitation with sextortion, hacking, financial crime, and extremism.

The escalation is clear in police accounts. A perpetrator may manipulate a child into sharing indecent images, then use threats or blackmail to demand further actions. In the most serious cases, victims are coerced into self-harm. Police say offenders may seek peer status, or “kudos,” by demonstrating control over victims.

This combination creates a changing investigative challenge. The groups are loosely affiliated, their membership shifts, and victims and perpetrators may be in different countries. Police Scotland is mapping the threat, while international agencies share reports and evidence. The article records one Scottish arrest and several convictions in England.

Online grooming is the building of a relationship or sense of trust with a child for later exploitation. The article uses the term for online groups that manipulate and coerce children. Contact may begin in an ordinary gaming space, where the offender can appear familiar before moving the conversation elsewhere.

Trust can lower a child’s suspicion and make requests seem more acceptable. Once contact is established, the offender may exploit personal vulnerabilities, pressure the child to share indecent images, and use those images or threats as leverage. Police describe this progression as moving from manipulation to coercion and, in serious cases, forced self-harm.

The article links this pattern mainly to vulnerable girls aged 11 to 17. It also says offenders may be socially isolated or bullied themselves, then seek identity online, though that describes some abusers rather than excusing their crimes. Police are investigating these pathways and mapping the networks as memberships change.