Daniel Carr: Doncaster blackmailer forced girls and women to send explicit pictures and perform sex acts

Daniel Carr, aged 27, met his victims, who were aged between 15 and 25, via social networking sites between 2020 and 2022.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how in April 2022, Carr hacked the Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok accounts of a 17-year-old boy and used those accounts to message a number of girls and women requesting they send him explicit images.

After it was reported to police, officers investigated and discovered a series of shocking blackmail incidents Carr was responsible for.

On several occasions between 2020 and 2022, Carr hacked social media accounts and threatened those they belonged to. He demanded they hand over cash, send explicit images or perform sexual acts on camera, otherwise he would leak explicit images he had of them to family and friends.

In one instance, he forced a 15-year-old girl to perform sexual acts on camera after he struck up a fake online relationship with her using a hacked social media account.

DC Adrian Love, who investiged the case for South Yorkshire Police, said: “The offences committed in this case are vile and have been truly distressing for the victims. Carr used multiple social media accounts in an attempt to conceal his identity and blackmail his victims into sharing explicit images of them.

“This case has involved a vast amount of digital forensic work but without the victims’ bravery in coming forward, Carr could not have been brought to justice.

“I hope the sentence handed down provides them with a sense of justice and that they can now move on with their lives and put these incidents behind them."

DC Love added: “Online sexual offences, against both children and adults, are damaging in the extreme and I would urge people to report such crimes to police so they can be investigated. Victims will be listened to and should know there are many avenues of support available. We will always do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.”

Carr, of Violet Avenue, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to 16 charges on December 19, 2022. These included four counts of blackmail, four counts of disclose or threatening to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress, and one count of causing a female 13 or over to engage in a non-penetrative sexual activity.

He was remanded into custody and was sentenced to six years in prison yesterday. He has also been handed a sexual harm prevention order preventing him from committing further online sexual offences, and has been placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

Carr pleaded guilty to:

> Four counts of disclosing or threatening to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress;

> One count of causing a female 13 or over to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity;

> Four counts of blackmail;

> Three counts of unauthorised computer access with intent to commit other offences;

> One count of sending a letter/ communication/ article conveying indecent/ offensive messages;

> Two counts of possessing indecent images of children;

> One count of possessing extreme pornographic images.