Akash Sondhi

Akash Sondhi, a 27-year-old man from Chafford Hundred in Essex, has been imprisoned for an extensive campaign of cyber-enabled sexual blackmail targeting young women across multiple countries. Between December 2016 and March 2020, Sondhi admitted to 65 offences, including unauthorised access to computer systems and blackmail, after hacking into Snapchat accounts of 574 victims aged between 16 and 25 from the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Romania, and other locations.

Prosecutors from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) described Sondhi as an 'extremely manipulative' individual who inflicted severe emotional and psychological damage on his victims while deriving personal gratification from the images and videos he extorted. He would threaten to distribute existing intimate photographs to the victims' friends and family unless they complied by sending new nude images. In at least six instances, Sondhi followed through on his threats, posting the images as warned, which led to profound distress among the affected young women. One victim, in particular, attempted suicide as a direct result of the blackmail, highlighting the devastating impact of his actions, according to the CPS.

Essex Police's cyber-crime unit uncovered Sondhi's activities following reports from several victims. On 19 March 2020, officers raided his home on Hedingham Road, seizing evidence that confirmed the scale of his operations. Detective Sergeant Ian Collins of Essex Police stated: 'This is a wake-up call for anyone committing this type of crime - we will catch you and bring you to justice, and you can go to prison for the distress caused to the victims.' The investigation revealed how Sondhi exploited vulnerabilities in social media platforms to perpetrate what has been termed 'sextortion'.

At Chelmsford Crown Court, Sondhi was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment, reflecting the gravity of his offences. Additionally, he was ordered to be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years upon his release. Joseph Stickings from the CPS commended the bravery of the victims who came forward, saying: 'Akash Sondhi was an extremely manipulative man who inflicted emotional and psychological damage on young women whilst also getting gratification from their images and videos. I would like to thank all of the women who bravely came forward to tell of their traumatic experiences.' This case underscores the growing threat of online sexual exploitation and the commitment of law enforcement to combat it.