‘I felt ashamed and scared’: how an online friendship became a sextortion nightmare

Thomas found connection online after moving to a rural village with no friends nearby. Then things started to spiral • Children in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers “I still describe them as the best friend I’ve had.” Thomas* knows how it sounds, but it’s his honest description of what he initially thought was an online friendship with another teenager who, just as he did, felt lonely and like he didn’t quite fit in at school. Continue reading...

By Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent