Could Joel Dommett’s Skype sex confession halt rise in blackmail-related suicides over ‘sextortion’?
![Joel Dommett admitted he had been made to look like a turkey for following his heart, not his head [Image: ITV].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/161130-Joel-Dommett-ITV.png)
Joel Dommett admitted he had been made to look like a turkey for following his heart, not his head [Image: ITV].
He revealed that he had been “catfished” – lured into a relationship by someone who had adopted a fictional online persona – during the current series of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, on ITV1.
He was encouraged into carrying out certain private activities on a Skype call with this imposter, who then posted it on the Internet immediately before the comedian went into the jungle.
As a result of his confession, Google searches for the clip skyrocketed – but at least Mr Dommett had taken possession of the incident. By admitting what had happened, and his own stupidity in participating, he had ensured that the villain could not blackmail him.
As he admits, though, it’s still a very stupid thing to do.
Perhaps there should be a new strand of sex education in school – teaching youngsters the common-sense fact that sexting someone you’ve never met is extremely silly and may lead to similar situations.
They could use Mr Dommett’s confession in the lessons. Would that – at least partially – cut down on these incidents and their tragic consequences?
Four men killed themselves in the last year after being blackmailed as part of an increasing cyber “sextortion” racket.
International gangs of organised criminals are targeting more and more young men by luring them into potentially compromising positions, the National Crime Agency said.
The number of people reporting financially-motivated cyber enabled blackmails more than doubled from 385 in 2015 to 864 up to November 2016.
This number has risen from nine in 2011.
Sextortion is a form of blackmail where criminals use fake identities to befriend victims online – using websites such as Facebook, Skype or Linkedin – before persuading them to perform sexual acts in front of their webcam.
Source: Sextortion: Rise in blackmail-related suicides over sexual images shared online | The Independent
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All I have to say to anyone as stupid as to think they can start meaningful relations or even simple titillation over cyberspace then they deserve all the opprobrium and kickback they get.
Unfortunately the cyber generations seem to believe there are little or no consequences to bloody idiocy.
I am glad they learn the hard way but also really against any legal injunction into cyber communications which as sure as day follows night will be trumpeted. The PC/Protect you Societies will espouse our best interest in order to throttle common sense.
His entrance into I’m a celeb was showing us already his critical factors were on dead. Still go for it, cry like a baby and Grow Up!
Mr Dommett didn’t cry like a baby, and let’s face it, he did own up. I’m not willing to condemn him completely and, as I mention in the article, his story provides a useful cautionary tale for youngsters.
At the other end of the scale is the suggest – by Jeremy Hunt, if I recall correctly – that ‘sexting’ should be banned among people aged less than 18. How is that to happen? Ban anything like that and it just goes underground – or carries on regardless, in the belief that it cannot be policed. A pointless exercise, proposed by a pointless MP.