British soldier runs sick sextortion scam and blackmailed nearly 90 children into sex acts
"Depraved" soldier Austen Fleming, 29, was jailed after he was caught blackmailing nearly 90 young children into sending him explicit images and videos, while threatening to send the images to their family and friends
An evil solider ran a vile sextortion scam where he blackmailed young children into performing sex acts for him.
"Depraved" Austen Fleming, 29, lured almost 90 kids online while stationed as a soldier at RAF Dishforth, in North Yorkshire. The vile predator pretended to be an "attractive" woman on fake social media profiles and recorded his interactions with these children to use it as leverage against them to send more explicit content.
When the kids refused, the soldier threatened to send the images to their family and friends, using this to blackmail the young children into sending more explicit content.
Fleming was initially arrested on November 14, 2022, and his accommodation was searched for evidence. It quickly became clear to cops that his crimes were on a prolific scale, with victims across the country needing to be traced.
The soldier was further arrested on suspicion of making indecent images of children and facilitating a child sex offence. Fleming was interviewed but bailed while police recovered evidence. Investigators determined the predator carried out his horror crimes between December 2020 and January 2023.
Fleming was re-arrested on December 16, 2024, for multiple offences including blackmail, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, causing the exploitation of a child, and distributing indecent images of children.
One boy, aged 15, was so badly traumatised by Fleming's sextortion threats on Snapchat that he attempted to take his own life, according to the Daily Record. Others were left crying and shaking with fear by what he had put them through, Leeds Crown Court heard.
Fleming, who had served in the 6 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, was jailed for 24 years and ordered to serve three years on an extended licence.
He admitted to 83 cyber-enabled child sexual abuse and exploitation offences. The youngest of Fleming's many victims was aged just 10 and the oldest only 17.
Terrified victims had "begged" Fleming not to leak their images online, but their pleas only made him make even more graphic and depraved demands. He told one 15-year-old victim to send indecent videos, warning him: "Send bro or the vids going up."
Fleming made children send explicit images taken next to sleeping siblings, and take sexual videos involving family pets. One child was said to be so traumatised that he "vomited" when he told his mother what he had been forced to do.
Judge Ray Singh told how social media had given Fleming "easy access" to victims and told him: "Despite your relatively young age your depravity knew no bounds. There are 61 individual identified victims.
"There are 27 who have not been able to be identified. So you were approaching 100 victims. Each a real person, each a real child, each who was abused by you."
Detective Constable Tom Sutcliffe from the Online Child Abuse Team, who led the investigation, said: "Fleming is clearly a depraved offender who poses a significant danger to young people especially. He now faces a long time in prison and will be robustly monitored by the authorities for the rest of his life."