Abused children via app
cooking demonstrations to music performances and followers can comment instantly and can express their appreciation with an online currency called ‘diamonds’
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Coulter, of Rosslyn Avenue, in Kenton, Newcastle, would spend around five hours a day on Live.me where he would type out sexual demands while posing as a teenage boy called ‘Geordie Mike’ to dupe vulnerable underage girls.
Coulter amassed 1,500 contacts, mainly young girls, on the app, prosecutor Jolyon Perks explained. He spent £50 a month on ‘diamonds,’ a crypto-currency used on Live.me which he gifted to get his profile to the top of streams.
Once there, he made filthy demands – including one in which he told two young girls “I want more booby”, the court was told.
He was the “principal contributor of diamonds” in another stream in which dozens of perverts watched as a girl, thought to be aged around nine, was sexually assaulted.
As detectives began to investigate the pensioner’s crimes they became concerned about the potential for dangerous misuse of Live.me.
Det Sgt Hull said: “It’s a relatively new platform to the UK. It’s a Chinese format. This case is the first investigation where it’s come up for us. When we first saw what Live.me was we thought this is a potentially dangerous platform.”
Det Sgt Henderson said the fact that many parents may not of come across Live.me increases the risk to young users.
And he is now urging all mums and dads to get clued up on the apps their children use.
“This was a relatively new format for the police. A lot of people will say Facebook is the biggest risk, but it is the platforms that are new that cause the greatest concern,” he said. “If parents can’t tell their kids what the risks are, the kids will never understand. Parents have to get clued up on these things. Live streaming is a big risk. It is not recorded and there is no data retained.” Det Sgt Hull added: “Parents should get the apps and play with them first so they can see how they work and understand it. If I don’t understand it, I can’t protect my child. It’s a really difficult balance for parents to strike.” Coulter pleaded guilty to nine counts including, distributing indecent photographs of a child, making indecent photographs, taking indecent photographs, and four charges of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, at Newcastle Crown Court. He was last week jailed for eight years after Judge Spragg branded him: “every parents worst nightmare.’ Live.me’s safety polices are outlined on its website. It says: “Live.me is explicitly intended to be used by Det Sgt Dave Henderson individuals 13 years of age or older, and those under 18 should have their parents’ permission to download and use the app.
“Live.me employs a team of human moderators around the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The team of moderators works both proactively and reactively responding to users’ reports.
“To further ensure Live.me is a safe community for all of our users, we also actively work in conjunction with law enforcement and other municipalities to assist in criminal and safety related investigations to the fullest extent of the law, without violating user privacy.
“Beyond human moderation, Live.me has industry-leading artificial intelligence to continually identify content which violates the Community Guidelines. Furthermore, Live.me actively works with others in the live video industry to further develop and adhere to best industry practices so that we can further prevent safety issues from occurring on the platform.”
The Chronicle has contacted Live. me for comment.