A former director of a children’s holiday camp who groomed and exploited dozens of teenagers online by posing as a 16-year-old girl has been jailed. Cameron Osman contacted his victims through apps such as Instagram and Love Crush and became involved in a highly sexualized conversation that revolved around an online fantasy world where the 45-year-old pretended to be a teenager who liked to dominate school-aged children. .

A National Crime Agency investigation identified 76 victims in the UK, all aged between 12 and 16, including several Welsh children. Some of the children were induced to perform sexual acts on camera for the sexual pleasure of the accused. Investigators in the United States also discovered chat records that showed Osman communicating sexually with underage boys in 27 countries around the world. He also searched the Internet for minor children in Colombia, a place he planned to visit.

St Alban Crown Court heard statements from parents of school-age children he attacked, detailing the devastating impact his abuse had on the children, with one mother saying her son tried to take his own life as a result of what it happened. At the time of the offence, the defendant was working at a holiday camp in East Sussex, but investigators found no evidence that he was a babysitter at the camp.

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The accused was initially arrested in September 2021 and released on bail after being questioned while his laptops and other devices were searched. However, he reoffended, this time posing as a young man, and was arrested again in March this year, after another victim was identified.

Cameron Osman, from Southampton, has already pleaded guilty to 36 charges, including attempting to incite a child to commit sexual acts, soliciting a child to commit sexual acts, communicating sexually with a child and making indecent images of children, when he returned to dock. . be condemned. For the latest court reports, subscribe to our crime newsletter here

In shocking statements read in court, the mother of one victim described how the attention had a profound effect on her son’s confidence and made him much more withdrawn. She said: “It’s difficult for him to talk about what happened because he is embarrassed and humiliated knowing he was tricked by a grown man posing as a girl. He is now at an age where he should be dating girls and exploring the world. , that person took it away.

Another mother said that because of what happened, her son tried to commit suicide. She said: “Our son became withdrawn, lost his appetite, enthusiasm and positivity. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and was unwilling or unable to tell us what was happening. People think that online attention has no victims. “I always understood that it wasn’t like that, but only now do I really understand.”

In statements from one of the young victims, he said he felt “disgusted” when he found out what was happening. He added: “I felt insulted, deceived and dirty. “I just want to erase it from my memory if I can, because it’s vile and wrong.”

Osman was sentenced to 18 years in prison, including 13 years in prison followed by a five-year license period. He must serve two-thirds of his prison sentence before applying for parole. He was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Speaking after the sentencing, National Crime Agency director of operations Danielle Pownall said: “Cameron Osman pretended to be a teenager to prey on children for his own sexual gratification. His crime affected dozens of children who now have to live with the consequences of his actions. . I would like to commend his courage in speaking out, which helped put Osman behind bars. “The NCA will continue to pursue and prosecute those involved in online child sexual abuse.”

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