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Do you say data or data? Either way, many people assume paying a fortune for a monthly data plan is just the norm. But with Mint Mobile, Premium wireless plans start at just $15 a month. Mint Mobile offers the same reliable wireless service as major providers, but but at a fraction of the cost. With premium wireless plans, you'll get high speed data, unlimited talk and text and coverage on the nation's largest 5G network, all without breaking the bank. Keep your current phone and number plus all your contacts. Switch today and get three months of premium wireless for only $15 a month. No matter how you say it, don't overpay for it. Shop data plans@mintmobile.com casefile that's mintmobile.com casefile upfront payment of $45 for 3 month 5GB plan required equivalent to $15 per month new customer offer for first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre for suggested phone numbers, for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings. Please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. This episode features distressing subject matter pertaining to the sexual abuse of children and the production of child exploitation content. It will not be suitable for all listeners. The names of several witnesses have been changed. From her family's home in the quiet, windswept countryside of East Anglia in southern England, 16 year old Tessa Dorsey posted an ad on the classifieds website Gumtree, wanting to earn some extra money babysitting. It didn't take long before Tessa received a response, but her excitement quickly gave way to confusion when she realised the sender wasn't looking to hire her to watch any children. Instead, a woman named Liz Kandel presented Tessa with a strange opportunity. First off, I fully accept that this offer may not be for everyone, so feel free to say no, liz wrote. But my offer is as I will be Interested in receiving from you photographs of yourself either topless or in the nude. Liz admitted that while she wouldn't quite call herself an artist, she had a deep passion for drawing, particularly in charcoal. Liz said she was searching for inspiration, believing the photographs Tessa could provide would fuel her creativity. She encouraged Tessa to adjust the terms of the offer to suit her comfort level, such as taking the photos from behind so her face wouldn't be visible. In any case, Liz assured Tessa that no one would ever see them. In exchange for the images, Liz promised a generous payment of up to 1,200 pounds, depending on their quality, quantity and the poses Tessa was willing to provide. The money could be Transferred online via PayPal, a bank transfer or even Amazon gift cards. The message ended politely. Thanks for taking the time to read this, Liz. Tessa didn't buy Liz's story for a second. She was certain Liz Kandell was the fake identity of a man seeking child exploitation material. When Tessa threatened to report Liz, her mask slipped. Immediately, her tone turned sharp and cruel as she bombarded Tessa with vile, sexually explicit images of other underaged girls. Liz warned that the onslaught was merely a gentle start. The message was comply or face the consequences. If Tessa refused, Liz threatened to send the explicit images to Tessa's friends and family, telling them that the photographs were of her. Disturbed and frightened, Tessa broke down in tears and rushed to tell her mother what was going on. They reported the incident to the local authorities, but it seemed nothing was done to stop whoever was behind Liz Kandell. Months later, frustrated by the lack of police action, Tessa took matters into her own hands. She posted a warning about Liz Kandell on her online Facebook page, writing, this man is a sicko and the police aren't doing anything. Her post gained traction and soon caught the attention of Britain's National Crime Agency, or the ncaa, the country's highest level of law enforcement, which specialises in cybercrime. The NCA reached out to Tessa Dorsey and examined the disturbing photos that Liz Kandell had sent her. For the first time, Tessa felt as if her voice was being heard, and it gave her a sense of empowerment to know she was helping track down a dangerous predator. But the images she had been forced to view left a permanent scar on her memory. Even today, I can't forget those pictures, she later admitted. I don't think I ever will. Tessa Dorsey's unsettling encounter with Liz Kandel was of great concern to the National Crime Agency. For several years, the organisation had been entrenched in a global investigation into the malicious underbelly of The Dark Web Unlike the mainstream Internet, the Dark Web cannot be accessed through conventional search engines. It requires specialised software that not only anonymizes users, but also encrypts their web traffic, making their activities difficult to trace. Beneath this veil of secrecy lies a sprawling network of hidden websites, forums and marketplaces. People who inhabit the Dark Web often do so to protect their privacy, making it especially valuable in regions burdened by censorship or surveillance. It is seen as a haven for secure free speech, expression and the sharing of sensitive information. However, this same anonymity has also made it a refuge for criminal activity. Everything from drugs and weapons to stolen identities and hacked passwords are bought and sold in this virtual underworld. The original and most notorious of the Dark Web's illicit marketplaces emerged in 2011 under the name Silk Road. As covered in episode 76 of Casefile, the Dark Web also facilitates the creation and distribution of illegal pornography, and one particularly obscene forum had drawn the scrutiny of law enforcement agencies worldwide. The Dark Web forum, titled Hurt to the Core, specialised in a subgenre called hurtcore. A portmanteau of the words hurt and harcour. Hurtcore is considered one of the most extreme and depraved forms of pornography, as it often involves brutal violence and bodily harm. Dark Web expert and author of the Darkest Web, Eileen Ormsby, described her cour as a fetish for people who get aroused by the infliction of pain or even torture. She emphasised that a key element of Hurt Core is a victim who is not a willing participant. Although adult Hurt Core exists, the users who frequented the Hurt to the Core forum weren't interested in just any violent sexual content. Their obsession revolved specifically around children, and the abuse couldn't be simulated or roleplayed. It had to be genuine. As Eileen Ormsby explained on her self titled blog, the child's pain is not a byproduct. It is deliberately inflicted, recorded and posted. For the gratification of Hurtcore enthusiasts, Hurt to the Core emerged on the Dark web in late February 2013, created by a user known only as Lux. Like most individuals on the Dark Web, Lux was an enigmatic figure who relied on anonymity to thrive. Although Lux ran multiple forums, wikis, chat rooms, video streaming and image upload services dedicated to pedophilia. Hurt to the Core was his empire, by far his most popular and active creation. His work was so notorious within the Dark Web that it had even drawn the ire of other resident pedophiles who staunchly disavowed his promotion of Cruelty and violence against children. Lux had earned the reputation as one of the Dark Web's most hated figures, receiving dozens of death threats each week. But to Hurt Core enthusiasts, Lux was king. Lux claimed to be a pediatrician from the United States, but the validity of this claim and his true identity remained a mystery. As part of an investigation into the Dark Web, American tech journalist Patrick O'Neill reached out to several members of Hurt to the Core who agreed to speak to him through encrypted emails. When Lux caught wind of this, he reached out to Patrick directly, offering to be interviewed publicly for the first time. Securing an exclusive one on one interview with a prominent Dark Web figurehead was an incredibly rare opportunity, given that they typically shunned real life exposure to Patrick. The allure of interacting with the mysterious and influential Lux was tempting, but the decision to do so wasn't easy. Lux was undoubtedly evil, and Patrick questioned whether he should give him a public platform at all. Patrick ultimately decided to accept Lux's offer, believing it was in the public's interest to do so. The interview was conducted over encrypted emails and then published in Kashmir Magazine. Lux revealed to Patrick that he first entered the dark web in 2011, ironically as part of a targeted campaign against online pedophiles led by the hacktivist group Anonymous. Titled Operation Darknet, the group aimed to fight for the defenceless, believing that no one was more defenceless than a child who was being exploited. Their goal was to shut down several prominent child exploitation sites operating on the Dark Web and and expose its users to police. Lux first learned about Operation Darknet on 4chan, a website he frequented where Anonymous members often coordinated their activities. Despite spending countless hours at his computer, Lux had never ventured onto the Dark Web and knew nothing about the illicit sites Anonymous was targeting. A mix of morbid curiosity and a desire to join the noble cause drew him in. He downloaded the necessary software and logged into the Dark Web for the first time. Operation Darknet was a decisive battle fought from behind computer screens around the world. Whenever Anonymous succeeded in taking down a child exploitation site, its owner would inevitably restore it. One site owner sent Anonymous a defiant message that read, it is our God given right that we can choose to have our sexual preferences for youth. It is the same for any other porn community. It is not what we choose to become, it is who we are. You do not have the right to censor us. Anonymous stated firmly in response. Child pornography is not free speech. Within a month, Operation Darknet had successfully taken down 40 child exploitation sites through carefully orchestrated infiltration Anonymous had also managed to uncover the potential real life identities of several of the site's users. Their effort drew both praise and criticism from the public. While many applauded the dismantling of paedophile sanctuaries, others argued that taking down illegal websites should be the work of law enforcement, not vigilantes. Critics also pointed out that the attacks might have jeopardised ongoing police investigations or compromised crucial evidence needed for prosecution. In the end, Anonymous success was short lived. The authorities couldn't act on the intelligence gathered by the group, as it had been obtained illegally. Moreover, most of the shutdowns proved only temporary. While one major site eventually closed for good, the rest had merely gone dark. Which meant they ceased activity where they were being monitored and shifted to private communication channels. Worse still, the widespread publicity of Operation Darknet triggered a surge in activity and membership within the Dark Web's pedophile communities. Before long, the sites were back up and running in even greater numbers. Exposure to the Dark Web changed Lux fundamentally. He admitted to Patrick O'Neill that it had awakened and normalised latent paedophilic urges he'd harboured since his teenage years. The communities he witnessed there were surprisingly supportive, offering him a sense of belonging that eased his depressive feelings and helped him form connections he struggled to build in the real world. To Lux, it was, quote, like a home in there. When Lux told other users that he was an American paediatrician who sexually abused children, his status within the community skyrocketed. He also gained respect as an enabler, teaching others how to procure victims, create content and cover their tracks. He provided tech security tips to avoid real world detection and and explained how to strip identifying metadata from photos and videos. Lux also encouraged others to abuse children, tutoring one user who worked in short term accommodation for intellectually disabled children to assault a girl in his care. He advised another on how to abduct, rape and kill a five year old girl, while also offering guidance on how to dispose of bodies. As Lux grew in popularity, he began creating illicit sites of his own and built what he came to refer to as his pedo empire. In time, he noticed a glaring gap in the market. The groups he participated in had either banned Hurt Core outright or tolerated it to a limited extent, but didn't advertise it as a feature of their site. Seeking complete freedom, Luck set up the one and only forum dedicated to the repudiated subgenre. A pre registration message on the site claimed that Hurt to the Core was censorship free and dedicated to open discussion. If you do not agree with that or are easily offended, it warned, then this is not the place for you. Under Lux's leadership, Hurt to the Core grew into one of the largest distributors of child exploitation material and Hurt Core content in the world. The site relished in its depravity, with users posting videos and images depicting rape, murder, and the sexual abuse of animals and corpses. Lux told Patrick O'Neill that the forum was averaging 326 new accounts and a around 160 posts daily. The thousands of members from around the world commissioned each other for new content tailored to their specific tastes. According to Lux, around 15,000 videos were downloaded from the forum each day. His separate Pedowiki website, which contained nearly 600 articles about pedophilia, had reportedly garnered millions of hits, though Patrick had no way of verifying any of Lux's claims. At the helm of Hurt to The core were 16 elite members of an exclusive VIP section called the Producers Lounge. In order to join, prospective members had to provide a defined amount of original video content. To prove it was original, they made their victims hold up signs or write unique identifiers on their bodies, such as for Lux. The attention fuelled Lux's ego, and he craved notoriety. It was this arrogance that ultimately led him to disregard warnings from his community and agree to speak with the journalist Patrick O'Neill. Despite having earned the title of, quote, the king of Hurt Core, Lux told Patrick that he didn't even like Hurt Core. He was just defending other people's right to enjoy it. Luck stated, if anyone had ever done such a thing to any of the kids, I know I would put a bullet in their head. Given that, I still think that people who have an interest in such things should have a place where they're able to voice their opinions and desires. Years Lux explained that he didn't benefit financially from his crimes and had no intention of doing so. He just considered himself a strong believer in free speech. But as Patrick O'Neill pointed out, he has markedly less concern for the freedom of the actual children being exploited. Law enforcement deemed Lux one of the world's worst online pedophiles. Agencies around the globe joined forces to launch Operation Downfall, a coordinated effort to dismantle Pedo empire and bring Lux to justice. But Lux and his network were highly skilled in navigating the dark web, making them masters of their domain. Lux was supremely confident in his online security and certain he could never be identified. Aside from the police, countless others had tried to take him down over the years, including hacktivists and Internet vigilantes, but none achieved lasting success. Whenever one of his sites was taken down, Lux would promptly restore it or create another in its likeness. In 2013, six months into hurt to the Core's creation and as part of operation downfall, the USA's Federal Bureau of Investigation seized the servers of Freedom Hosting, the world's largest dark web hosting provider. This was a significant blow to Lux's empire as it took down many of his sites. Undeterred, he resurfaced, this time hosting his own private web server, eliminating the reliance on third party services and giving him complete control over his pedo empire. Other dark web users began rapidly setting up sites on Lux's servers as he announced, well, it looks like this empire hasn't fallen yet. To any law enforcement agency who may be reading this. Fuck you. You cannot keep us down. And every time you try, we will just get bigger and bigger. So thanks for the publicity and leading more pedophiles to where you can't catch them yet. By early 2014, members of LUXx's community began to suspect something was amiss, as he had become uncharacteristically slow to respond to their messages. For the first time, Lux's bravado faltered and he seemed genuinely afraid that the police were closing in on him. When a member of Hurt to the Core once mused about the possibility of Lux being exposed, he confidently assured them that he would go down in a blaze of glory. That so called blaze of glory began when Lux reached out to the FBI through a cyber tip hotline. My name is Lux, his email began. And not only do I run the largest online suite of child pornography websites, but I also have knowledge about its users and their identities unrivalled by anyone out there. On top of that, I also have complete control over the large group of proven producers on any site. I am sure that access to this, let alone everything else I am offering you, is merit for the conditions I will outline below. In exchange for relinquishing full control of his empire, including his Lux Persona, Lux demanded $50,000 in digital currency and immunity across all jurisdictions. When this attempt failed, Lux pivoted dramatically, claiming he was motivated by a desire to dismantle his own paedophile network to protect the victims they had harmed, he wrote to the FBI, it is clear you are not taking my offer seriously. It is not a game. These are real lives you were bargaining on. I will get rid of these people because no one else will. As you do not want to be part of the solution, I bid you farewell. In June 2014, having failed to convince the authorities to meet his demands, Lux abruptly shut down all of his sights and announced his immediate retirement from the Dark Web. He told journalist Patrick O'Neill that the decision was prompted by personal issues brought to his attention by close friends. As always, all empires eventually fall, luck stated, and today is the day that the Pedo empire falls. After years of running child pornography hidden services, today's the day that I walk away. I don't like long, awkward farewells. So goodbye. Within two months, he was back on the Dark Web, confiding to a close friend that while he had killed off Lux, he had been reborn under the username Buddha and was already working on a new website. At dawn on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014, three years after Lux first emerged on the Dark Web, a police task force in Victoria, Australia, prepared to carry out a raid. Unbeknownst to Lux, he had befriended an undercover officer online who had successfully infiltrated his network. They had gathered crucial intel that led them to where he was hosting his illegal operations. A home on a quiet suburban cul de sac in South Meringue. The house was occupied by a family of four, a father, a mother, son and daughter. Based on their intelligence, authorities believed that one of them was the king of hurt Core, Lux. Given that Lux's online behaviour suggested he had a degree of life experience, they assumed it had to be the father, a mechanic and panel beater aged in his 50s. But when officers stormed the house, they quickly realised their mistake. As it turned out, Lux was actually the scrawny, pimply faced son of the family, 21 year old Matthew Graham. A bright, albeit unremarkable former nanotechnology student, Graham had dropped out of university and spent the past three years holed up in his bedroom, glued to his laptop. Shy, insecure and socially anxious, he had withdrawn from society and barely interacted with his family. He didn't even come out of his room to eat dinner, though he did occasionally babysit his neighbour's six children, all aged under 10. Matthew Graham initially spent most of his time online, engrossed in multiplayer games. These communities led him to 4chan, which then guided him into the Dark Web. When he first took on the Lux Persona, Graham was only 18 years old and still in high school. He had always believed himself to be asexual, experiencing no sexual attraction or feelings toward anyone. He claimed his interest in child exploitation material was driven by a mix of repulsion and fascination. As time went on, he consumed increasingly depraved content, seeking an emotional response that never Surfaced. Graham said he felt disconnected from the suffering, as if he were from another planet. Yet he eventually began masturbating to it. Matthew Graham's family was stunned to learn what he had been up to all this time. They thought he was just gaming in his bedroom. While he had no criminal record, academic issues or behavioural problems, his parents spoke of his diagnosed schizoid personality disorder, anxiety and depression, and how he rejected all of their attempts to get him professional help. There was no mention of any significant childhood trauma, humiliation or abuse that could have explained his actions. The police had considered Lux to be devilishly smart. But outside of the Dark Web, Matthew Graham was a meek, awkward individual who was, quote, unlikely to win a battle of wits or anything else. Though he initially refused to cooperate, he eventually surrendered the password to his laptop, revealing the full extent of his crimes. Matthew Graham held the most depraved collection of pornography the case investigators had ever encountered. He attempted to spin a narrative, claiming he had established his pedo empire to catch child abusers, an excuse the police quickly dismissed. He finally admitted his real motivation was a desire to be a part of something. Explaining the sexualisation was never anything I was interested in. It was the power within the community. There was no evidence to suggest that Matthew Graham had ever harmed any child left in his career. In fact, despite his assertions online, Graham was classified as a non contact offender. While he actively facilitated abuse, he never physically committed it himself. However, police believed that if left unchecked, it was only a matter of time before he escalated. Matthew Graham ultimately pleaded guilty to 13 child exploitation charges. Author Eileen Ormsby attended Graham's sentencing hearing in 2016 and recounted the experience in her book, the Darkest Web. With his family present in support, Graham hunched over and sobbed quietly as the details of the crimes he facilitated and encouraged were revealed to the court. Prior to reaching their decision, the judge was legally obligated to view a notoriously depraved Dark Web video promoted by Graham online, which depicted the abuse of a toddler. At first, the judge couldn't bring himself to do it. When he finally gathered the mental fortitude to leave the courtroom and view the material the next day, he returned half an hour later, noticeably quiet and pale. It was my clear duty to watch it, he said. I wish it hadn't been. It is the worst thing I have ever seen, how any human can view that impassively. To you, it was just footage for your stock. It was pure evil. I've seen some shocking things over the journey of my career and I have never seen anything like that. I can find no like cases. Your case is without parallel for apparently showing signs of remorse. Matthew Graham was sentenced to 15 years in prison. With good behaviour and concessions, he could be released in as little as 10. As part of Operation Downfall and with Graham agreeing to be an informer, several other key members of Lux's network were identified and convicted. The investigation also resulted in the rescue of 30 young abuse victims worldwide. News of Lux's arrest sent shockwaves through the dark web. Many were stunned to learn the reigning king of Hurtcore was merely a gaming tech nerd barely out of high school. His Downfall was nevertheless widely celebrated, with detractors attributing Lux's undoing to his unchecked arrogance and inflated ego. One user said he is now paying the price for his deeds and he is now another name in the past of Darknet. I figure it is best to let him be in the past and fade away. Foreign Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Therapy should be accessible, not a luxury. 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Shop data plans@mintmobile.com casefile that's mintmobile.com casefile upfront payment of $45 for 3 month 5GB plan required equivalent to $15 per month new customer offer for first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. Following Matthew Graham's momentous capture, his pedo empire had effectively crumbled. However, replacement sites quickly emerged to fill the void. One was a forum titled Screen Bitch, which marked an escalation of the depravity previously featured on Hurt to the core. In the years that followed, screenbitch flourished, setting authorities back in their efforts to completely dismantle the Dark Web's thriving pedophile enterprise. An avid poster to scream Bitch. Was a user known as 666 Devil. He had earned a notable reputation on the Dark Web for his unique brand of original child exploitation material. 666devil posed online as a woman named Liz Kandel and sought out underaged girls as young as 12. Claiming to be a budding artist willing to pay for nude photographs, he was known to frequent Websites like Gumtree and Facebook, where he searched for posts by girls requesting money for innocuous work, such as dog walking or babysitting. He would then offer an exorbitant payment to tempt them into becoming Liz's art subject. It's up to you. I understand if you don't want to, he assured them, reinforcing the illusion that they were in control and that nothing was amiss. 666 Devil sometimes engaged his targets in friendly conversations, in which he carefully probed for personal details and hidden traumas he could then exploit. He believed that vulnerable girls made for easier targets, as they were often eager to interact with a kind person who was willing to listen. He asked seemingly compassionate questions like I'm really interested in you and I want to find out more about you. Isn't your life hard? He fabricated connections by lying about being infertile and suffering from depression, all the while trawling websites frequented by susceptible, sensitive or naive girls, including forums dedicated to eating disorders. Although most of his victims were underage girls, his abuse also extended to boys as well as adult adult men and women. Behind the scenes, 666 Devil carried out reconnaissance, gathering every piece of information he could about his targets, including their name, address, school, workplace, friends and family. Unaware of the intricate web of deceit being spun around them, the girls eventually placed their trust in Liz and sent her the photographs she requested. The Moment 666 Devil received the images, the kind and supportive Liz facade vanished. He revealed to the girls that he wasn't a forlorn artist, but rather their worst nightmare. Those photos you've sent won't hurt me, he told his victims, but will end badly for you. The girls were then given two complete destruction. 666 Devil explained. Or be my slave, he said. They could either continue to provide him with explicit photographs of themselves, or he would send the images he already possessed to their family, friends, neighbours, school, employers and even their bullies. He also threatened to plaster the photos across the mainstream Internet, making them go viral. I'll share your details on the dark web, he warned. They'll all compete to ruin your life. The girls were given as little as 48 hours to respond. Ignoring his demands was fruitless. If they dared to defy 666 devils, he promised to distribute the images anyway. Certain no one could ever identify him, he taunted his victims by asserting, even if you gave the police direct access to every single thing I have sent you, I am still 100% safe. Confused and paralysed by fear the victims felt they had no other choice but to comply with 666 devils. One girl later told police, I felt stupid and trapped. The idea of people seeing me topless made me feel sick. I knew I couldn't let it happen. I didn't know who Liz was or why she was doing this, but I felt I had no option. After procuring his victim, 666devil's demands became increasingly degrading. He ordered the girls to strip naked and take photos with demeaning or offensive comments scrawled on their bodies. He demanded that they photograph themselves licking toilet bowls, brushes or used sanitary products, eating dog food or excrement, or attaching painful bulldog clips to sensitive parts of their bodies. The cruel demands left many girls with serious injuries. But 666 Devil was relentless. One victim later stated, every day when I woke up there would be a message. When I came home from school, there would be a message. When I wasn't actually talking to him, I was worried about when the next message was going to come through. To exert even greater control over his victims, 666devil demanded access to their social media accounts. He also sometimes created fake profiles, impersonating his victims to wreak havoc on their personal lives. In one instance, he messaged a victim's schoolmate while posing as the victim, provoking a confrontation by claiming they wanted to fight. When the victim returned to school, they were beaten, completely unaware that the attack had been orchestrated by their online tormentor. The girls always did as they were told, hoping that complying would stop their ordeal from spiralling further out of control. One of the girls, who was in foster care at the time, was told her disabled brother would be taken away from her if she did not keep sending pictures of herself. Yet with each new photograph sent, things only worsened. 666 Devil made his victims perform violent and sexual acts on their pets and abuse and torture their siblings, some of whom were infants. One girl was ordered to record herself violently stomping on her younger brother. Another was made to sexually assault her four year old sibling. 666 Devil's victims felt helpless as the constant threat of exposure loomed over them. If they stopped obeying, they believed that their loved ones would receive all the humiliating images and their lives would be ruined beyond repair. Do you really want your friends to see these? 666 Devil asked them mockingly. I will do everything I can to make your life awful. The girls were trapped, their lives consumed by paranoia, depression and in some cases self harm and suicidal thoughts. Many of their personal relationships were destroyed as they tried to navigate the struggles of the real world while secretly enduring horrific abuses in the digital one. When One victim told 666devil that she was thinking of ending her own life to make it all stop, he replied, well, you might end it all, but that would not mean that your images don't get circulated. Your images will still be circulated to your family and it will still be published online, so what good is that going to be to you? You have no choice. One of the Girls victimised by 666devil later spoke anonymously with the BBC, explaining why she followed his demands. Through tears, she said, I felt like people wouldn't understand that it wasn't my fault how it started and I didn't want to do it. I was ashamed. And obviously you've heard what the pictures were like. They were awful. And I didn't want any of my friends to think that I wanted to do that, but I felt that no one would understand because there was no one there sort of holding a knife to me saying, you will do this, even though it felt like that. So I didn't tell anyone. 666devil shared the images of his victims with other pedophiles on the Dark Web through forums like Hurt to the Core and Scream Bitch, even offering advice on how they could replicate his con. I love blackmail, he told them, especially forcing someone to do things they don't want to for amusement. He made no financial gain, acting solely for the sheer thrill and clout of sharing his material. This also meant there was no money or digital currency trail for authorities to follow. Nevertheless, the FBI had been working diligently to identify 666devil since he first appeared on the Dark Web in 2009. Over the coming years, they carefully examined the graphic content he shared online in hopes of uncovering clues to his identity and the true scope of his offending. The material they were forced to review was some of the darkest, most depraved content they had ever encountered. The emotional toll was immense, but the evidence only strengthened their resolve to capture 666devil and protect his victims. By 2013, 666devil's behaviour on screen Bitch was raising serious alarm bells. He posted an image on the forum of a young pyjama clad girl between the ages of 5 and 7. She was holding a sign that read I Heart SB, the initials of Scream Bitch, along with a date just a few days away. According to 666 Devil, the girl was his daughter, whom he admitted to abusing regularly. Among his disturbing claims, he asserted that he kept her in a cage and fed her dog food. The revelation that 666devil had unlimited access to a child earned him celebrity status among the other pedophiles. However, the point of his post was to advertise what he called Hell Week seven days of intense abuse he intended to carry out against his daughter. As dictated by the scream Bitch community. He asked his like minded followers, what do you want me to do to her? When one replied, how far are you prepared to go? 666 Devil responded gleefully, There are no limits. Users responded excitedly with suggestions on how to terrorise 666 devil's daughter from the psychological to the physical. Some of their ideas were considered by the police to be relatively mundane but nevertheless evil, like mixing bags of white and brown rice in a bowl and getting the child to separate the minuscule grains by colour. Other suggestions were more unsafe, like starving her for a day. The brainstorming session quickly devolved into users encouraging abhorrent criminal acts. One proposed show her the meaning of pain. That would be Beautiful to see. 666 Devil replied, relishing the discussion. I have so many ideas. Although the real life identity of 666devil remained a mystery, intelligence gathered by the FBI suggested that he was likely a man based in the uk. Given the urgency of the situation, they alerted their British counterparts at the National Crime Agency, who sprang into action, desperate to rescue the child at the centre of the abuse. But they had an arduous journey ahead. Even if the assumption that the offender was a British man was correct, There were over 30 million men over the age of 18 in the UK at the time. Trying to find 666devil in the real world felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. Undeterred, the NCA launched a dedicated investigation titled Operation Kakam, aimed at bringing down 666devil once and for all. They immediately issued a National Child Rescue Alert to all law enforcement agencies across the UK. The alert contained the image of the girl 666devil claimed to be his daughter, along with urgent instructions to report any sightings of her directly to the NCA. Meanwhile, NCA staff scoured the conversations taking place on ScreenBitch, analysing every word for clues that might reveal 666 Devil's whereabouts. But as time dragged on, little progress was made. Speaking to the televised series Prime Hunting the Predators, NCA Branch Commander Matthew Long recalled the crushing sense of hopelessness investigators felt each time they ended their shifts without finding the girl. I remember driving home and feeling an unbelievable pressure that it was Wednesday. Going into Thursday, there was a possibility that a child might die. On Friday. As the deadline loomed, the NCA exhausted every available avenue to try and identify the little girl. Senior investigating officer Matt Sutton told Prime Suspect, it's hard to go home and you haven't safeguarded that child because you know that while you're sleeping, that child could be being tortured. Meanwhile, on screen, Bitch. Hell week had commenced. 666 Devil provided his cheering sycophants with daily updates about the horrific acts he was committing. The situation grew even more dire when it became evident that 666devil posed a threat to other children in his life. When Halloween approached, he described how he intended to lace sweets with screws, nails and even human excrement before handing them out to unsuspecting trick or treaters. He even hinted at inviting them inside to, quote, play. Clinical and forensic psychologist Kirsty Lowe read the alarming exchanges between 666devil and his peers to help create a suspect profile. The messages left her stunned. She told Prime Suspect, how could people really be thinking like this? The cruelty, the absolute cruelty of just not caring at all about what they were talking about. These were people's lives and he didn't care. You had kids who were just caught in this absolute hell. Based on his online presence, Kirstie believed that in real life, 666devil was likely a fairly ineffectual individual who spent a lot of time on the computer, wasn't very sociable and didn't really fit into society. Yet with no worthwhile leads emerging, the NCA could do little else but quietly monitor the dark web. Waiting for clues. They meticulously searched for even the smallest mistake 666devil might have made that could help unravel him. But he never slipped up. His discipline was extreme. His awareness hyper focused on avoiding doing anything online that might leave a trail. Then word of a troubling Facebook post reached the NCA. It was written by a 16 year old girl from Southern England named Tessa Dorsey. She described an incident from months earlier when she had posted an ad for babysitting work on Gumtree. She received a message from someone claiming to be an artist named Liz Kandell. The false identity knowingly used by 666devil to prey upon his victims, Tess Facebook post which warned others that Liz was a predator, prompted the NCA to reach out. Through this connection, they uncovered an email address 666 Devil had used under the guise of Liz Kandel to interact with Tessa. It was a SafeMail account, a highly secure platform designed to protect users identities. It did so by masking their IP addresses, the unique identifiers assigned by Internet service providers to pinpoint a device's network location in the real world. While this prevented the NCA from pinpointing 666 devil's exact whereabouts, they turned to Gumtree for assistance, hoping the company had records of Liz Kandel's interactions on the site. The Liz Kandel SafeMail account was traced to what initially appeared to be an innocuous interaction with another Gumtree user based in the uk. They had posted an ad seeking a particular type of doll for their daughter. Posing as Liz, 666devil responded to the ad claiming to have the exact doll and offering to give it away for free on one condition. The message read, can I just ask one thing? I want to be 100% sure the doll really is going to the little girl rather than a sneaky adult collector. And I also want to be able to show my friend who gave it to me that it is appreciated. Could you take a picture of your daughter holding a sign which says I heart sb? Hopefully that makes sense. Is that okay, Liz? As it turned out, the photograph 666devil had been parading around the Dark Web as his daughter was in reality an innocent image sent to him by an unsuspecting mother from Gumtree. She had interacted with Liz Candell and believing the exchange to be genuine, had provided the photo as requested. Within half an hour, 666devil had posted the image on the Dark Web, claiming it was of his daughter. In truth, the entire narrative he had woven on screenbitch about abusing his daughter and his ominous Hell Week plans was nothing more than a grotesque fabrication. The discovery came as a major relief to investigators, but they were determined to find the girl to ensure she was safe. The NCA obtained the residential address of the woman seeking the dollar and an agent accompanied by a social worker proceeded to visit her home. When they knocked on the door and identified themselves, the woman immediately said, I know why you're here and I want you to come in. Inside, the investigator and social worker found the little girl from the photograph and confirmed she was unharmed and had no real world connection to 666devil. The child was sent upstairs while her mother was interviewed. Visibly devastated by what had occurred, she recounted her online encounter with Liz Kandell. After their initial exchange, Liz had privately messaged her, asking for more pictures of her daughter. That was when her suspicion grew, prompting her to report Liz to Gumtree. The realisation that an online predator had coerced a photo of her daughter left the woman deeply shaken and physically ill. She was too distraught to work and couldn't bear to let her daughter out of her sight. I feel as if I failed my daughter massively by being too trusting, she later said. It's my job as her mum to protect her and I put her in danger that will never go away. I have to live with that guilt and struggle with it for the rest of my life. While the NCA had successfully identified and safeguarded the girl, they were still no closer to finding 666devil. As their investigation deepened, countless reports surfaced describing harrowing encounters that perfectly matched his mouth. He used many different accounts, usernames and email addresses to avoid detection. Sometimes, instead of Liz Kandel, he posed as women named Jess or Shona. But the pattern of manipulation and abuse remained consistent. The path forward proved to be more daunting than investigators could have imagined. NCA Branch Commander Matthew Long told Prime. The more we investigated, the more we found. What started to unravel in front of me very quickly was a volume of children who had been abused, which was bordering on unprecedented. We realised how determined, how dangerous and how the offenders were prepared to go to any lengths to exploit children. The impact 666 devil had was crushing. The abuse one victim was subjected to resulted in her developing a cult like following on the dark web. The frenzied interest fuelled 666devil's cruelty, driving the victim into a severe mental health crisis that left her hospitalised. After a suicide Attempt, she informed 666 Devil, hoping for mercy. Instead, he callously updated her online fanbase, thinking of just betraying her as harshly as I can to see how much I can mentally fuck her up. I think there's even a bit of chance of suicide. I am not sure I care if she lives or dies. Any hope the victim had that 666 devil would take pity on her was quickly dashed. Even as she lay in a hospital bed recovering, he continued to demand more images. Speaking about this incident for prime suspect, NCA Branch Commander Matthew Long said that victim is having a bad run in life and his reaction was great. Let's see if I can make them worse. Let me see if I can give them more pain. While other cyber criminals the NCA had dealt with had motivations they could fathom, such as money, passion, hate or revenge, 666devil's sole motivation was to inflict pain on others in online discussions about things he wanted to see at least once in his life. He a young girl being used as a dartboard, a video of a child's bones being slowly and deliberately broken, and the abuse of a disabled child. The more The NCA observed 666devil, the more their personal hatred for him grew. Operation Kakam soon became the largest online manhunt the agency had ever faced. Yet the investigation was hampered by a fundamental problem. The Internet itself was the crime scene. Devoid of physical, biological or trace evidence to guide their search, the dark web's vast international scale made mapping the web of destruction immensely demanding in terms of time and resources. With many traditional investigative techniques rendered useless, the police were forced to develop more creative and sophisticated methods to uncover critical information. They employed language analysis and behavioural science to gain deeper insight into 666devil's personality. Undercover officers infiltrated Scream Bitch posing as pedophiles to interact with him directly. Digital experts worked tirelessly to penetrate the site's multiple layers of heavy encryption. All the while, investigators continuously sharpened their IT skills, striving to get one step ahead of him. An NCA officer likened the investigation to a maddening game of chess. Far from discouraged, the NCA expanded its reach and effectiveness by partnering with the U.S. department of Homeland Security Security, the Australian Federal Police, Europol and other international agencies. Meanwhile, more victims came forward and were being identified, including one who had been under 666 Devil's influence for over a year. A specialised support team was established to help them all. For many, it was the first time they had openly discussed the abuse they endured. Though it was painful, it allowed them to reclaim their power, break free from their tormentors control and finally cease contact. The victims also provided the NCA access to their online accounts and digital devices, enabling investigators to gather more intelligence by communicating with 666devil under the guise of one of his victims. Despite these efforts, 666 Devil remained at large, hiding in plain sight. His ability to outsmart authorities and evade capture only fuelled his arrogance. He continued preying on new victims, gloating online. I am completely untraceable. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.