Convicted sex offender, 50, acted as 'Global Moderator' of dark web child sex abuse site which encouraged other paedophiles to share 'horrific' images

 The hidden site had over 2,000 members and was only accessible using Tor

A convicted sex offender acted as a ‘Global Moderator’ on a dark web site dedicated to child sexual abuse content, which encouraged other paedophiles to share ‘horrific images’.

Brett Saunders, 50, was snared as part of an investigation into the hidden site which had over 2,000 members and is only accessible using an anonymous web browser.

The NCA focused on a moderator with the username ‘Wetty’ who was heavily involved in running the site.

Wetty took responsibility for enforcing the site’s rules and responding to user enquiries, providing advice around personal security and how to evade law enforcement detection.

Investigations revealed Saunders to be behind the account with further enquiries revealing his previous convictions related to the sexual exploitation of children.

Saunders was arrested at his home in August 2022, where police seized a number of devices which he had attempted to hide from officers.

Brett Saunders, 50, (pictured) acted as a ‘Global Moderator’ on a dark web site dedicated to child sexual abuse content, which encouraged other paedophiles to share ‘horrific images’

Saunders, 50, was snared as part of an investigation into the site which had over 2,000 members (Pictured, Swindon Magistrates Court)

They discovered a phone and hard drive concealed in an air vent, and a laptop hidden under a sofa cushion – with the website open, and Saunders logged in to his moderator account.

When interviewed, he confirmed to officers that he held the rank of Global Moderator and had himself uploaded indecent images of children to the site.

Saunders then confirmed that he had a sexual interest in children, particularly girls aged 8-12.

Investigators found over 3,000 posts by Saunders on the site, as well as private messages to other users, which showed that his contribution was essential to the running of the website.

The messages also made it clear that Saunders’ promotion to moderator was largely due to his commitment and encouragement of others to discuss and distribute child sexual abuse content.

When congratulated by another user on his promotion to Global Moderator he said:

‘Thank you* I must say it came as a bit of a shock to me! Not sure what I did to deserve the honor, but whatever it was I will try to keep doing it to the best of my abilities!’

The site was run on a points-based system where users gained ‘reputation points’ for adhering to the rules and sharing abuse material.

It had an initial guest portal, where new users had to gain at least 10 reputation points before they were admitted entry to the main site.

Saunders’ job as moderator was to monitor the guest portal, issuing and deducting reputation points and deciding who would be allowed to become a member.

He had uploaded 115 images and videos of child sexual abuse to the site, including pictures of a young girl as part of a discussion around child marriage, with the caption:

‘If only it were possible. I would wish for it if I found a magic lamp*.and for her to stay about this age (10-12) forever (and me my age)!!’

A further 65,000 files relating to indecent images of children were recovered from his devices.

Saunders was charged by Wiltshire Police for breaching the sexual harm prevention order that had been placed on him by the force when he was released from prison for his previous offending.

He was remanded in custody and later sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for the breach.

Last year, he was charged with a further nine counts, including arranging/facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group, distributing and making indecent images of children in categories A-C, and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

On Friday (19 January) at Swindon Magistrates Court he pleaded guilty to all nine counts. He will be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on 5 March 2024.

Adam Priestley, Branch Commander at the NCA, said: ‘Brett Saunders was directly responsible for facilitating the sexual abuse of children.

‘He became part of a global community of paedophiles to further his own sexual interest in children and his dedication to this platform was such that he was appointed as a moderator.

‘It was clear he took this role extremely seriously, investing a significant amount of time to keeping the site up and running, on top of a full-time job.

‘The site hosted horrific videos, images and discussions on child abuse, some of which Saunders posted himself or actively encouraged others to do so. He did this brazenly, clearly assuming he was protected by the dark web.

‘The NCA is focused on targeting dark websites such as these, which play a huge role in the normalisation of offending.

‘We have the capabilities to identify the highest harm offenders who try to hide in these spaces, and are committed to bringing them to justice.’