A man from south London who posed as a model agency scout to blackmail children as young as nine into sending sexually photos has been jailed for 18 years.
Ishmael Duncan, 24, is believed to have contacted close to 10,000 kids across the world attempting to coerce and threaten them into sending naked photos of themselves.
Duncan tricked 28 young victims into sending photos before blackmailing with revenge porn threats so that they would send more.
On one occasion the paedophile told a 14-year-old girl in America who had learning difficulties that he would give her $1,000 if she gave her own brother oral sex.
“We have your nudes. This is your first and only warning.”
Duncan, of Walnut Tree Walk in Lambeth, would begin by approaching victims on Snapchat to ask if they wanted to model for well-known fashion brands.
He would then ask for their age and personal details before requesting clothed images or videos.
After building their trust he would then request topless photos on the pretext of assessing the victims’ body shape, and to use as a base for editing in potential clothes to be modelled.
He used different accounts including a photographer called Callum and general manager Mark.
Then he created another account to contact the same victims, often months later, and threatened to expose or share their photos unless they complied with his demands for more images.
This is a message he often sent: “This is an automated message. We have your nudes, and unless you reply to this message saying “I understand", they will be sent out to expose accounts on Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter.
"If you reply with anything else other than “I understand”, or if you block or unfriend this account, your nudes will be sent out. This is your first and only warning.”
Separate to his modelling approach, he also targeted victims claiming to be a child of the same age.
“I was petrified that you would find me”
Devastatingly sad victim impact statements from Duncan’s victims were read aloud in court.
One victim said: “I was 11-years-old when you first made contact with me. At this time I was a vulnerable young girl struggling with my confidence and suffering from anxiety.
“Your online comments and compliments made me feel better about myself and made me believe that I could have a future in modelling, something which all young girls aspire towards.
“You lied to me and this led me to wanting to look a certain way on the pictures so I stopped eating.
“For months I could not bring myself to leave my home because of the thought of you finding me and telling everyone what I did.
“I was petrified that you would find me and come to my house and hurt, perhaps kill myself or one of my family members. I used to wake up in the middle of the night thinking that you were inside my house which terrified me.
“Because of what you did to me, I isolated myself from my family and friends for months because I was disgusted with myself. Although I now know deep down that none of this was my fault, I still cannot help blaming myself and feeling some guilt.
“You have made me suffer for four years and I feel that what you did to me will stay with me forever.”
Another young victim said: “Now I know he’s going to get sentenced I am less upset about the situation and I know me and all the other victims are safe.
“I feel sorry for the younger children who experienced it. That should not be the case, it’s disgusting. I’m glad to know Ishmael Duncan will be sentenced for what he’s done to me.”
“I hope children become more aware of people like him because they will know how to protect themselves. For any other victims of these crimes I have a message for you: ‘It is ok to say no, don’t be afraid to say it. Your mental health matters and make sure to tell people when it happens because they can help you to feel better’.”
19,120 indecent images of children
Duncan was reported to the NCA via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), following two sisters in the US reporting being threatened after sending explicit images to one of the accounts.
When officers tracked his IP address and arrested him in July 2021 officers discovered 19,120 indecent images of children.
Duncan was charged with 53 counts including causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity (penetrative and non-penetrative), blackmail, sexual communication with a child, indecent and prohibited images of children (making and possession) and possession of extreme pornographic images.
On August 21 he admitted to 42 of the counts and on Thursday (September 14) he pleaded guilty to a further eight counts.
On Thursday (December 7, 2023) Duncan was jailed for 18 years at Inner London Crown Court.
NCA Operations Manager Martin Ludlow said: “Ishmael Duncan’s offending was systematic, manipulative and heartless. He cruelly exploited young girls who had aspirations of becoming models, purely for his own sexual gratification.
“I would like to commend the bravery of all of these young victims for coming forward to help bring Duncan to justice today.
“This case is another example of the NCA working closely with overseas partners to identify and safeguard victims.
“We will continue to operate online and internationally to target those offenders who pose the most serious risk to children.”
Wendy Hart, Deputy Director for Child Sexual Abuse at the National Crime Agency, said: “This case shows the vital role that social media companies have in supplying information to support the successful prosecution of online child sex abusers.
"The introduction of end-to-end encryption by some platforms in messenger services will severely inhibit law enforcement’s ability to obtain evidence, convict offenders and protect children from harmful abuse.”
Jeanette Smith, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said: “Ishmael Duncan made a number of different accounts with false personas, for the predatory purpose of targeting children online and obtaining sexual images of them for his own gratification.
“Using fake profiles, often posing as a modelling agent or a teenage boy, Duncan was able to manipulate children into sending indecent images of themselves. He would then go on to threaten and blackmail his victims to comply with his sick demands for more explicit material.
“This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the NCA and international partners, will work to bring justice to those who sexually abuse and exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.
“The CPS’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit was set up last year as a specialist unit dedicated to prosecuting child sexual abuse, in all its forms.”
An NSPCC spokesperson said: "It is immensely disturbing the ease with which Duncan was able to access and harm children around the world - using social media to blackmail and sexually exploit them.
"It is cases like this that show the urgent need for tech companies to abide by the UK's Online Safety Act, which requires they make their sites safer for children, ensuring that young people are protected from abuse."
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