Anthony ‘Danny’ Burns, from Lowestoft, used dating and so-called sugar daddy sites luring vulnerable victims into sharing images that he then used to force them into performing sex acts and coercing others into abusing their children.
One of his victims, Sophie Goodall, waived her right to anonymity to share her story through the National Crime Agency, which brought Burns to justice.
"I hadn't shared anything with him," said Ms Goodall, who had set up a new business and feared Burns would be able to obtain details of her home address.
“So I was absolutely terrified,” she said. “And he kept coming back on different numbers. He started sending me very sexual, really disgusting imagery.
“So then I called the police.”
Ms Goodall was one of the several malicious communications offences admitted by Burns.
From his bedroom in Lowestoft, Burns used multiple different names, addresses, telephone numbers and websites to attempt to contact approximately 600 people around the world with the intention of sexually exploiting them.
He also posed as various people including the head of a modelling agency looking for clients in order to get women into sharing naked images.
READ MORE: Depraved sex blackmailer should face ‘fullest force of the law’, says victim
Ms Goodall added: “It was like a barrage of all these different people who were all him just saying the same thing, sending me disgusting messages, disgusting photos, and wouldn’t leave me alone.”
Asked what she thought the man who was messaging her was capable of, Ms Goodall said: “I was really terrified that he was going to murder me.
“I was really scared that he would turn up at my house. The way that he framed his messaging and the imagery that he expected me to reciprocate … was so alarming.
“I was in my home where I should feel safe and I should feel protected and on a device where I should have control over everything.
“And for that to be violated and for you to feel really violated, even though you did nothing … is quite terrifying.”
Burns was jailed for 24 years on Friday at Birmingham Crown Court, having admitted 41 offences and being convicted of two others relating to a seven-year-old girl living in the US.
'I was really terrified'- victim shares story of online sex blackmailer
10
0
20.01.2024
Anthony ‘Danny’ Burns, from Lowestoft, used dating and so-called sugar daddy sites luring vulnerable victims into sharing images that he then used to force them into performing sex acts and coercing others into abusing their children.
One of his victims, Sophie Goodall, waived her right to anonymity to share her story through the National Crime Agency, which brought Burns to justice.
"I hadn't shared anything with him," said Ms Goodall, who had set up a new business and feared Burns would be able to obtain details of her home address.
“So I was........
© Eastern Daily Press
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Donald Low
Mort Laitner
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
Michael Kwet
