An Omagh man has been jailed for a number of offenses including harassment, sexual offenses and computer misuse.
Ryan Eastwood, 30, previously pleaded guilty to 49 offenses involving 34 victims.
On Monday he was sentenced to concurrent sentences of three years’ imprisonment at Dungannon Crown Court.
This includes three years for attempted blackmail, three years for attempted extortion, one year for publishing private sexual photographs with intent to cause distress, and attempting to induce a person to perform a sexual act. includes two and a half years.
He will be placed on the sex offenders’ register and will be subject to a 10-year sexual offense prevention order.
PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Paul Woods subsequently told a press conference that the sentence was the result of a criminal investigation between October 2019 and June 2022.
Victims were confirmed not only in Northern Ireland, but also in England, Scotland and Wales.
“The significant length of time the crime took place and the wide range of locations of the victims highlight both the scale of the crime and the complexity of the investigation,” Woods said.
“Eastwood used a variety of techniques, including social engineering, to obtain the victims’ private photos. In some cases, Eastwood posed as a friend of the compromised victim in order to access the victim’s account. We also used social media accounts.
“He was able to access personal information in the private areas of the accounts. He also posed as a representative of a lingerie company in order to obtain the images. Whatever the means of deception, the end result was It is the same and constitutes a violation of privacy and trust, resulting in understandable distress.”
The victim was targeted for cybercrime despite the defendant having previously been banned from using the internet as part of a sexual offense prevention order.
Mr Woods said the verdict should send a clear message to those involved in this type of cybercrime that they cannot act with impunity and are not anonymous.
“Offenders will be identified, vigorously pursued and brought to court to face the consequences of such actions,” he added.
“Police would like to thank each and every person who has had the courage to speak out. Your support in this complex investigation will be invaluable in unraveling the complex patterns of crime.
“I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who may be a victim of a crime such as this to come forward. We will respond with the utmost care.”