Garda chief warns young Tipperary people about danger of online blackmail over intimate photos

A garda chief has appealed to any young Tipperary people targeted by blackmailers after sharing intimate images of themselves online to contact the gardaí, who he assured will help them to resolve the traumatic situation.

Tipperary/Clare Garda Division Chief Superintendent Colm O’Sullivan issued the appeal at Tipperary’s Joint Policing Committee meeting last Friday.

He said An Garda Síochána is rolling out a public awareness campaign about this type of crime to secondary schools and colleges.

It’s part of a national public awareness campaign An Garda Síochána is spearheading in a bid to tackle this criminal activity.

This issue targets people of any age group but is particularly affecting young people aged between 14 and 22. Gardaí are urging young people not to share intimate images of themselves online.

Even if an image is shared with a person you know and there is no blackmail involved, Supt O’Sullivan pointed out it can still be shared without your permission to other people causing great upset and trauma.

At the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee meeting, he highlighted the huge ramifications of sharing intimate images online and the danger of being blackmailed.

He stressed this type of crime is happening everywhere though it has not yet become very prevalent in county Tipperary.

But he confirmed to The Nationalist that four such cases were reported to the gardaí in Tipperary in the past few months.

He outlined how young people are being contacted on social media by persons unknown to them who groom them, send them an intimate photo and then get them to send back a return photo.

Then the blackmail commences, he said.

The criminals access the victims contacts’ details online and threaten that unless they pay over money the photos will be shared with their family and friends.

“It can be quite a threatening and terrible situation.

“We ask young people targeted in this way to come forward and tell us and we will help resolve the situation because if they don’t they can become more sucked into it.”

“We had a number of cases reported to us but there maybe more who are too ashamed to come forward and say it happened to them too.

“If it has, don’t be alone on this. Talk to your family and friends and please come forward and stop this developing across the country,” he urged.

Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne suggested a joint Garda/Tipperary County Council awareness campaign in the local media about this crime while Fine Gael Cllr Marie Murphy told the meeting any public awareness campaign should be held in conjunction with the secondary schools.

Chief Supt O’Sullivan responded that Crime Prevention and Community Policing officers are developing an awareness programme for schools and colleges.