logo
Misogynistic content driving UK boys to hunt vulnerable girls on suicide forums

Misogynistic content driving UK boys to hunt vulnerable girls on suicide forums

The Guardian12-04-2025

Young men and boys fuelled by 'strongly misogynistic' online material are hunting for vulnerable women and girls to exploit on websites such as eating disorder and suicide forums, senior officers have said.
The threat from young males wanting to carry out serious harm is so serious that counter-terrorism officers are joining the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the hunt for them, fearing they could go on to attack or kill.
Britain's head of counter-terrorism, Matt Jukes, told the Guardian that a joint taskforce would be set up between his force and the NCA to tackle those fixated with violence online, in what he called a 'decisive moment'.
Jukes, the Metropolitan police force's assistant commissioner for specialist operations, said the new pairing would look for those consuming online material about killings or sexual abuse. Those who might go on to plot school shootings and other mass attacks, as well as those who encouraged women and girls to harm themselves, would also fall under their remit.
The new taskforce will also tackle so-called com networks (online communities), which counter-terrorism policing (CTP) and the NCA said involved hundreds of boys and young men. They will also hunt for those viewing material inciting sexual abuse.
The decision to pool the efforts of CTP and the NCA is being driven by the fear that it might be impossible to tell whether an obsession with violence and gore could turn into terrorism, a school massacre or other serious attack until it was too late.
Jukes, who is expected to be a candidate for the deputy commissionership of the Met, said: 'What we've seen over the years is the characteristics of those cases looking increasingly similar.'
Com networks grew sixfold between 2022 and 2024 and are mainly young males joining together online to carry out hacking exercises and hunt for victims to steer into sexual abuse or worse.
James Babbage, the director general of threats for the NCA, said com networks were believed to have hundreds of people in the UK alone.
'We think they're mostly doing it for kudos, for notoriety … within their peer group online,' he said. 'In general, they are looking for victims who are already vulnerable. So they are looking at sort of suicidal ideation sites. They're looking at eating disorders forums.'
Jukes said: 'Young people who might have felt very isolated in some of their ideas and interests might never even have thought of some of the things which they're now accessing … so people are getting both content and validation.
'We're going to go after the com networks. We are going to go after those who appear to be administrating and facilitating them.'
The boost to the hunt for potentially violent young males comes after the Guardian revealed that the Southport attacker who murdered three girls at a dance class last July had been referred and rejected three times by the Prevent programme.
Prevent exists to identify those at risk of supporting terrorist violence. The Southport attacker had shown insufficient signs of ideological extremism but did have an interest in violence, including school massacres.
Babbage said: 'The violence-fixated individuals that are coming up on the radar for terrorism policing, the tech-enabled violence against women and girls that police are seeing and the com networks that we're seeing engaged in child sexual abuse and cybercrime – to some degree, this sort of young male community, it's sort of the same threat.
'People are spinning up and radicalising and getting into more extreme harm, and might spin out and end up presenting as any one of those things.'
The material driving the young males to view horrific material and to potentially offend 'has a very significant dose of misogyny in it', Babbage added.
Jukes said the internet had 'turbocharged' material triggering resentment among some young men: 'In com networks and in terrorist networks, the idea that the interests of men and boys have been relegated, and the interests of women have been elevated, leads directly to violent misogyny.'
He said there were 'technological and engineering' solutions to the crisis, and that big tech could help by stopping the algorithms pushing extreme content to youngpeople who wanted it. They could also aid police in helping to detect young people searching for violent content.
Jukes added: 'The scale we're talking about is beyond human intervention. There are too many users, too much traffic.'
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'She was a vulnerable child': Mother of girl groomed by Neo-Nazi believes lessons must be learned
'She was a vulnerable child': Mother of girl groomed by Neo-Nazi believes lessons must be learned

ITV News

time21 hours ago

  • ITV News

'She was a vulnerable child': Mother of girl groomed by Neo-Nazi believes lessons must be learned

'She should never have been charged': Rhianan's mother believes authorities should have dealt with her case differently 'She was just such a loving child. She was funny. You couldn't have wanted for better really.' Emily Carter is heartbroken at the death of her youngest daughter. Compounding her grief is the belief that if authorities had listened, Rhianan could still be alive. Through her early childhood, Emily describes a 'funny, kind and considerate' child, but her teenage years were troubled. At 15, Rhianan Rudd became the youngest person charged with terror offences in the UK. Five months after those charges were dropped, the teenager was found dead. Emily cites Covid as a trigger for Rhianan's isolation from society. She described a change, saying she spent more and more time on her computer. She had regularly checked her daughter's online activity, reassured by parental controls she'd put on her computer. She had no idea the teenager was being groomed by a far-right extremist in the US. When Rhianan finally confided in her mum and shared some of her newfound thoughts, she was horrified. Two days later, Emily referred her daughter to Prevent, a government programme aimed at stopping individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. She'd hoped it would help de-radicalise her, but instead of finding help and support, her case was closed, and Rhianan was arrested by counter-terrorism officers and placed under investigation by MI5. The charges were eventually dropped, but Rhianan lived in constant fear that she would be re-arrested. She took her own life on May 19 2022. The inquest over Rhianan's death heard on Monday that the criminal investigation would have frightened the 15-year-old and left her psychologically scared. Chief Coroner Judge Alexia Durran said there were chances for the police and Derbyshire County Council to refer Rhianan Rudd earlier for consideration as a potential victim of modern slavery. But she added the failings were 'not systemic', and said she could not be sure Rhianan intended to take her own life. Nick Price, Director of Legal Services at the CPS, said: 'This is a tragic case, and I want to send my sincere condolences and sympathy to Rhianan's family. We do not prosecute young or vulnerable people lightly. Terrorism offences are extremely serious, and these are decisions our specialist prosecutors take great care over.' Emily has spoken out in the hope that other children will be supported. Rhianan was autistic, and her mum wants agencies to have a better understanding of autism and recognise children's vulnerability. She thinks about her daughter every day and remembers the happy, fun little girl who just wanted to show kindness: 'She was always there for people, and that's how I want her to be remembered."

British girl who took life was radicalised by U.S. neo-Nazis, inquest says
British girl who took life was radicalised by U.S. neo-Nazis, inquest says

Reuters

time21 hours ago

  • Reuters

British girl who took life was radicalised by U.S. neo-Nazis, inquest says

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - A British teenage girl, who had said she wanted to blow up a synagogue and became fixated with Adolf Hitler, had been sucked into far-right extremism by two American neo-Nazis, a British coroner said on Monday. Rhianan Rudd, who was 16, took her own life in May 2022 at a children's home having been investigated by police and Britain's domestic security service MI5 over extremist views. Two years earlier, Rudd's mother had referred her daughter to the counter-radicalisation scheme, Prevent. She is believed to be the youngest girl to be charged with terrorism offences in Britain after she was arrested when 14, though the case against her was later dropped. At an inquest into her death, the Chief Coroner of England and Wales Alexia Durran said she had been initially radicalised by her mother's former partner, a U.S. neo-Nazi who had convictions for violence. She was further drawn into extremism by U.S. white supremacist Chris Cook, who was jailed in 2023 for terrorism over plans to attack power grids, Durran also said. Rudd, who had autism, became obsessed with fascism, even carving a swastika into her forehead, and had downloaded material about making bombs and 3D guns, Durran said. Durran concluded that both Mallaburn and Cook were each "a significant radicalising influence on Rhianan" who had "played a material role in introducing and encouraging Rhianan's interest in extreme right-wing materials". Rudd's mother Emily Carter said she believed that the police and MI5's prolonged investigation had played a role in her daughter's death. "Whilst nothing can ever bring Rhianan back, I urge all the authorities that came into contact with her to learn from what happened so that no other family has to experience the pain we have endured," Carter said in a statement. The charges against Rudd were not dropped until August 2021, four months after social workers believed she might have been a victim of sexual exploitation. However, giving her ruling at Chesterfield Coroners' Court in central England, Durran rejected the argument that the state had played a role in her death, saying it had been appropriate to investigate and prosecute her. "I am satisfied that the missed opportunities that occurred in this case were not systemic," she said. British authorities have become very concerned about the online radicalisation of young people. MI5's Director General Ken McCallum said last year that 13% of all those they were investigating were under 18, a threefold increase in the last three years. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service offered condolences to Rudd's family. "This is a tragic case," added Nick Price, CPS director of legal services. We do not prosecute young or vulnerable people lightly. Terrorism offences are extremely serious, and these are decisions our specialist prosecutors take great care over."

Inquest finds 'missed opportunities' to help country's youngest female terror suspect
Inquest finds 'missed opportunities' to help country's youngest female terror suspect

ITV News

time21 hours ago

  • ITV News

Inquest finds 'missed opportunities' to help country's youngest female terror suspect

A coroner has said there were missed opportunities to support a vulnerable, autistic girl who became the country's youngest female terror suspect. Rhianan Rudd, from Bolsover in Derbyshire, became the youngest girl in the UK to have been charged with terror offences after she threatened to blow up a synagogue. She took her own life at a children's home in May 2022 - five months after the prosecution was dropped when it emerged she had been groomed and exploited by a neo-Nazi. An inquest in Chesterfield which concluded on Monday heard that the criminal investigation would have frightened the 15-year-old and left her psychologically scarred. Chief Coroner Judge Alexia Durran said there were chances for the police and Derbyshire County Council to refer Rhianan Rudd earlier for consideration as a potential victim of modern slavery. But she added the failings were 'not systemic'. The coroner delivered an open conclusion, saying she could not be sure Rhianan intended to die. Judge Durran said: 'In the circumstances I do not consider I should make a prevention of future deaths report. 'I'm not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, Rhianan intended to take her own life. Rhianan's death… was the result of a self-inflicted act but it is not possible to ascertain her intention. 'Rhianan was known, to family and professionals, to be vulnerable, to have autistic traits and have a history of self-harm.' The coroner added: 'I find she was highly affected by her arrest and was concerned about being sent to prison.' The inquest had heard Rhianan had an 'obsession with Hitler' and wanted to 'blow up' a Jewish place of worship after she was groomed by an extremist neo-Nazi. An investigation was launched after she downloaded a bomb-making manual and scratched a swastika mark on to herself. 'She was let down' It was not known what Rhianan was told by her legal team when charges were dropped, but this may have had a 'psychological impact' on her, the coroner said. In a statement after the inquest, Rhianan's mother Emily Carter described losing Rhianan as "the most painful and traumatic experience any family could have to go through". She added: "To hear at her inquest today that she was let down by the police, the Prevent anti-terror programme, Derbyshire County Council and the mental health bodies only increases our anguish. 'Rhianan's young age, autism and other vulnerabilities made her an easy target for those who sought to groom and exploit her for their own ends. These people filled her head with ideas that were not her own and caused her to act in ways which would never otherwise have occurred to her." She said she raised concerns about her daughter's behaviour with the authorities in September 2020, but "instead of being treated as a highly vulnerable victim of exploitation, Rhianan was treated as a terror suspect and a criminal". 'The chief coroner has found that Rhianan was denied access to services which should have supported and protected her and, I believe, could have saved her life," she added. 'Looking at the number of missed opportunities recognised by the coroner, it's hard to see how they cannot have had an impact on Rhianan's state of mind." The family's solicitor Anna Moore said: 'It is significant that the coroner has recognised there were a number of missed opportunities by several of the agencies which came into contact with Rhianan before her death, including Counter Terrorism Police, Prevent, Derbyshire County Council and a number of the mental bodies." She added: 'The findings today confirm that the key protections for a vulnerable child were denied to Rhianan.' Counter Terror Policing in the East Midlands offered condolences to Rhianan's family. Assistant Chief Constable Di Coulson said: 'Rhianan's case was a stark moment for our management of the growing numbers of children and young people in our casework – so often presenting vulnerability as well as risk and threat to the public. 'Since Rhianan's death, we continue to work alongside our partners to evolve the way we approach cases involving children and, where feasible, attempt to rehabilitate and deradicalise, rather than investigate and convict. 'We welcome the findings of the Chief Coroner today, and while we have already made substantial improvements to the way we manage these cases, we will carefully review the findings and make any further changes in order to improve our protection of the public against terrorism.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store