A predatory youth worker who posed as a teenage girl online to groom children in Glasgow has been jailed for 13 years.
45-year-old Cameron Osman groomed more than 70 teenage boys online by pretending to be a 16-year-old, engaging them in sexualised conversations revolving around a fantasy online world.
Osman, from Southampton, would never identify himself and told the young men his camera was broken, while also saying he had a fetish for dominating boys in school uniform and sports kit and enjoyed student/teacher role plays.
Using online platforms such as Instagram, Discord and Skype, the former holiday camp worker adopted the alias of “Lizzielemon”, who he would say was from Birmingham or Bristol.
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An investigation from the National Crime Agency found that Osman had contacted over 76 boys in the UK, some of whom were Glasgow-based, with law enforcement partners in the US finding that he had messaged children in 27 different countries.
NCA Operations Manager Danielle Pownall said: “Cameron Osman pretended to be a teenage girl to prey on boys for his own sexual gratification.
“His offending affected dozens of children, who now have to live with the consequences of his actions. I would like to commend their bravery in coming forward, which has helped put Osman behind bars.
Osman was first arrested in September 2021, but was later released on bail. After continuing to offend during the bail period, he was re-arrested in March 2023 before pleading guilty to 36 separate charges at St Albans Crown Court in May.
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The charges included attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child, and making two category C indecent images of children.
He was charged to 13 years imprisonment, as well as five years on licence, and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
In an impact statement read before the court, one victim said: “I found out this was an adult man and felt disgusted that I was made to be in this situation. I felt violated, lied to and dirty.
“I just want to erase it from my memory if I can, as it’s vile and wrong.”
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A victim’s mother also said: “What happened affected his confidence hugely. He has become a lot more withdrawn.
“He struggles to talk about what happened because he is embarrassed and humiliated, knowing he was fooled by a grown man pretending to be a young girl. He is now at an age where he should be talking to girls and exploring the world, this man has taken that away from him.”
Another parent told the court that her son tried to take his own life because of the turmoil he had experienced.
While a serial offender of sexual abuse online, investigators found no evidence of Osman committing any offences at the activity camp where he worked.
Some campaigners hope that the introduction of the Online Safety Bill, which became law two weeks ago, will force tech companies into doing more to safeguard children online.
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However, the controversial legislation has critics who argue it will infringe on individual privacy.
A NSPCC spokesperson said: An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Osman was far too easily able to use social media to groom large numbers of children and move them on to private messaging apps where he sexually abused them.
“Online child sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on victims which is why it is so crucial that those targeted by predators like Osman can be identified by the authorities and supported. The Online Safety Act is now law so tech companies should be acting now to make their platforms much safer for children, including private messaging and end-to-end encrypted services.”
Bethany Raine, Specialist Prosecutor in the CPS’ Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, added: “Cameron Osman created fake online personas in order to groom children.
“Posing as a teenage girl he manipulated numerous boys into believing they were in a relationship and engaged them in sexually explicit conversations. Some were tricked into performing sexual activity on camera for Osman’s gratification. His offending continued even while on bail after his initial arrest.
“Our Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit was set up last year to prosecute child sexual abuse. Through the work of this unit, the CPS is determined to help stop the devastating impact of these crimes on victims.”
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