In 2022, the Offender Database reported that Ryan Campbell, the Kirkdale Sex Offender, a man from Liverpool, was sentenced to two years in prison for infiltrating his victim’s Snapchat account and disseminating explicit images of her to her family and friends.
Ryan Campbell, a 22-year-old resident of Smith Place, Kirkdale, confessed to charges of hacking, harassment, and the dissemination of sexual photos.
Ryan Campbell received his sentence on Friday at Liverpool Crown Court after a thorough police investigation.
He was also granted a Criminal Behaviour Order, effective for five years, imposing limitations on his internet access.
He now has to grant Merseyside’s Cyber Dependent Crime Unit access to his online history at any time and must refrain from establishing any new social media accounts without prior notification to the police.
If Ryan Campbell violates the terms of the order, it may lead to an additional prison sentence.
Ryan Campbell was incarcerated in September 2020 for coercive and controlling conduct, harmful communications, and computer usage.
He was freed on license and returned to incarceration in December 2021, promptly following the report of his reoffending to the police.
He will now spend the full duration of his original 20-month sentence.
Detective Inspector John Black said, “The punishment handed to Ryan Campbell shows that we simply will not tolerate such vile harassment towards women.
“People like Ryan Campbell think that the internet will give them anonymity to make threats and ruin lives – but not on our watch.
“Our message to anyone who thinks such online behaviour is acceptable is that we will find you and put you before the courts.
“I would like to thank his victim for the bravery and courage she has shown in coming forward and supporting the police investigation to put Campbell behind bars.
“I hope that the fact that Ryan Campbell is off our streets and can no longer cause fear and harm to other women will provide some comfort to his victim and will help her move on from her ordeal.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage any victims of similar online offences to come forward and report them to us.
“We have specially trained officers who will take your complaint extremely seriously, support you sensitively every step of the way and take strong action against the person responsible.
“Time is no barrier to reporting such offences for us to investigate such offences, so please let us know if you have been a victim.
“We will support and work with women and girls who are subjected to stalking or harassment, violence, domestic abuse, or any other crimes based on their gender, so we can identify offenders and put them before the courts.”
Police urged anyone with information or who wants to report online harassment to call 101, where they will be spoken to by specially trained officers, or pass information on to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Merseyside Police also emphasised that using strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication can help protect online accounts.
The NCSC has all the helpful advice and guidance on how you can help protect your online accounts from compromise; it can be found here
If you or anyone you know has been affected by the individuals highlighted on this website, please report them to the Police on 101 (999 in an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details on reporting a crime. You can also report to Crimestoppers if you wish to remain completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.