A French police officer was sentenced for buying child pornography on the dark web

Police Arrest Three Suspects, Including a Police Officer

The three suspects include a police officer who crossed to the other side of the law, and two computer scientists. They may have thought that because of their profession they could escape police surveillance of the Internet, but the net of justice is wide open and he and two computer experts were arrested and detained on September 13 following an investigation by police officers from the Central Office for the Repression of Violence against Persons (OCRVP).

According to LeParisien, the 25-year-old Paris police officer was sentenced to two years of probation for purchasing photos of rape and sexual assault of minors.

With the help of Tracfin, Bercy's anti-money laundering unit, they discovered the identity of the offender in a case that began in the United States. The U.S. federal agency did find a website called "Welcome2videos" on the dark web, a hidden part of the Internet that is not indexed by search engines. On this platform, Internet users bought and sold child pornography from around the world, and multiple images were purchased by French people. Because the purchases were made in cryptocurrency, OCRVP and Tracfin investigators were able to trace the owners of the accounts.

Obtaining False Personal Data for Child Pornography Content

In addition to the 24-month probation, the court required the police officer to refrain from any contact with minors for 10 years, and his information is also registered in the Automated Judicial Archive for Sex Offenders (FIJAIS). Regarding the two computer scientists, one of them was indicted and sent to prison. The second was, among other things, suspected of posing as a minor in order to entrap young girls on social networks and, once he gained their trust, to ask them for photos and videos. He then blackmailed them by threatening to disclose the intimate content in order to obtain new sexual acts.

In addition to his 24-month probation, the police officer was banned from engaging in contact with minors for 10 years, and he was registered on the Automated Justice for Sex Offenders (FIJAIS) file. Regarding the two computer scientists, one was indicted and imprisoned. The other suspect is suspected of disguising himself as a minor and enticing young girls on social networks, asking them for photos and videos once they gained trust. Later, he made them sing and threatened to reveal the intimate content in order to obtain further sexual favors.

The computer scientist was charged with multiple offenses, including "bribing a 15-year-old minor," "an adult soliciting pornographic images of him from a minor," and "rape and sexual assault of a minor. ". Since the introduction of new laws to protect minors from sexual crimes and incest in 2021, there is a real possibility that the judiciary will characterize the act of forcing someone to perform a sexual act through blackmail, even remotely, as rape or sexual assault. He was remanded in custody.