In 2026, the Offender Database reported that Conor Brady, 32, of Basildon, was sentenced to a total of 16 years following a landmark investigation by Essex Police. Brady, who operated from a self-contained unit at the bottom of a garden, was identified as a prolific online predator who targeted more than 100 teenage boys over several years using sophisticated “catfishing” techniques.
The investigation was launched by the Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) after receiving intelligence that an account linked to Brady had uploaded indecent videos of children. Following his arrest in November 2022, a forensic sweep of his digital devices uncovered a massive scale of exploitation. Brady utilised social media platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat, to create fake personas—often posing as a teenage girl—to lure boys aged between 13 and 17 into performing sexual acts.
Unbeknownst to his victims, Brady used screen-recording software to capture these encounters, later distributing and purchasing further child sexual abuse material. The investigation was described as “complex and painstaking,” involving the identification and support of numerous victims who Brady’s multiple user IDs had deceived. During the three-year probe, detectives discovered that Brady had compiled a library of 138 Category A, 473 Category B, and 1,272 Category C indecent images.
At Basildon Crown Court, Brady faced an “overwhelming amount of evidence” and pleaded guilty to 47 charges, including inciting children to engage in penetrative sexual activity and sexual exploitation. HHJ Samantha Cohen, while passing the sentence, noted that Brady used “tried and tested methods” to manipulate the boys and stated that the psychological harm he caused was “incalculable.”
Conor Brady was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a further six years on extended licence. He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and handed a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). These measures ensure that upon his eventual release, his internet usage and contact with minors will be under the highest level of permanent state surveillance.
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