The sadistic online groomers targeting victims around the world – and a mother’s struggle to keep her daughter safe

This month a predator with ties to the online extortion group known as 764 was sentenced to decades in prison. The mother of one of his victims wants parents to know the truth about this ‘harrowing’ global trend Sadistic online exploitation: five warning signs for parents - and how to keep young people safe “My beautiful, kind, intelligent, trusting daughter had the misfortune of stumbling across a link in a Discord server that led her to your evil and cruel group. “The grooming of her started immediately, and what followed was unimaginably harrowing and traumatic. You were just one of the group members who abused her, who made her do things that no young person should ever be made to do.” These are the words that came to an Australian mother, Olivia*, as Kyle Spitze was sentenced to 77 years in prison this month in Tennessee – the longest federal sentence yet imposed on what the US government has called a “nihilistic violent extremist”. Spitze, 27, pleaded guilty to abetting the distribution of animal crushing videos and child sexual exploitation material (CSAM) offences, with victims around the world – some who have still not been identified. His lawyer said he