By David Young-
A 50-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in prison following an extensive investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Brett Saunders, (pictured)a resident of Swindon, was identified as the ‘Global Moderator’ of a dark website dedicated to the sharing of child sexual abuse material.
Saunders, known by his username ‘Wetty’, played a pivotal role in the operation of the illicit website, which boasted over 2,000 members. Acting as the Global Moderator, he enforced the site’s rules and provided guidance to users on avoiding detection by law enforcement agencies.
NCA officers apprehended Saunders at his Swindon residence in August 2022, seizing multiple devices, including a laptop hidden under a cushion and a hard drive concealed in an air vent.
Shockingly, the abuse site was still active on his laptop, with Saunders logged in under his username.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Saunders had uploaded 115 images and videos of child abuse to the site, with an additional 65,000 related files recovered from his devices.
Moreover, his extensive engagement on the platform, comprising over 3,000 posts and private messages, highlighted his crucial role in facilitating the distribution of illegal content.
In his confession to authorities, Saunders admitted to having a sexual interest in children, particularly girls aged 8-12, and acknowledged his position as a Global Moderator on the site.
He revealed that the site operated on a points-based system, where users earned ‘reputation points’ for sharing abuse material, which Saunders then used to control access to the main site.
In a disturbing turn of events, Saunders was charged by Wiltshire Police for breaching a sexual harm prevention order while in custody, leading to an additional sentence of two years and eight months.
Appearing before Swindon Crown Court, Saunders pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including arranging/facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13 and participating in the criminal activities of an organized crime group.
He was subsequently sentenced to six years in prison and placed on the Sex Offender Register for life, accompanied by a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Adam Priestley, Branch Commander at the NCA, condemned Saunders’ actions, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to rooting out dangerous offenders operating in the shadows of the dark web.