Man jailed for voyeurism, blackmail and cyber crime
‘VILE OFFENDER CAUSED EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM TO VICTIMS’
A MAN who hacked into the computer accounts of more than 574 girls and young women to exploit them was last week sentenced to 11 years in prison for blackmail, voyeurism and cyber crimes by a court.
Akash Sondhi gained unauthorised access to hundreds of social media accounts, in particular Snapchat, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. He went on to commit blackmailing crimes between December 26, 2016, and March 17, 2020, .it added.
Sondhi, 27, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, threatened his victims, saying if they didn’t send him nude images of themselves, he would post intimate images of them to their friends and family.
Some women complied, but in at least six cases he went on to carry out his threats, the CPS said.
A number of Sondhi’s victims experienced serious emotional and psychological harm in the aftermath of his actions, with one victim even attempting suicide.
He admitted a total of 65 offences – including hacking, blackmail, and voyeurism – and was sentenced at Basildon crown court to 11 years in prison, a fiveyear Serious Crime Prevention Order, and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.
Essex Police said Sondhi targeted 574 victims across the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Romania and other countries by hacking into their social media accounts.
Some of his victims have still not been traced.
Sondhi’s address at Hedingham Road in Chafford Hundred, Essex, was raided by officers from the force’s Cyber Crime Unit on March 19 last year after several victims, aged between 16 and 25, filed reports.
“Akash Sondhi is an extremely manipulative man who inflicted emotional and psychological damage on young women, while also getting gratification from their images and videos,” said Joseph Stickings, a senior crown prosecutor in the complex casework unit for the CPS.
Detective Sergeant Ian Collins, from the Essex Police Cyber Crime Unit said, “He targeted with no remorse, purporting to be a friend on social media after hacking accounts. Then once he got access to their intimate pictures, he would attempt to blackmail them around disclosure of the images to friends and family demanding more images and videos of his own choice, putting the victims through an ordeal and causing extreme distress and embarrassment.
“Since his remand and now this sentence, we have managed to stop this vile offender from targeting more victims. This is a wakeup call for anyone committing this type of crime – we will catch you and bring you to justice, and you can go to prison for distress caused to the victims,” he added.
The detective also urged social media users not to store intimate images of themselves and to secure and protect their data.
“Don’t share passwords. Even if you think it’s a trusted friend that asks, it might not be,” he said.