‘My daughter was targeted by Satanist 764 group’
South of England Investigation Team
Getty ImagesWhen a 14-year-old girl started talking to other teenagers online, her mother wasn’t too worried.
But within a few weeks, Christina (not her real name) noticed her daughter’s behavior was getting out of control.
Her daughter had fallen victim to a far-right online Satanist group called 764. These groups mostly consist of young boys and young men who want to harm girls.
At least four British teenagers have been arrested in connection with the international group’s activities, including 764 member Cameron Finnigan, from Horsham in West Sussex. he was sentenced to six years in prison In January.
Warning: This article contains disturbing content
Christina said she believed her daughter was targeted by 764 after visiting a chat room where people discussed self-harm.
The group persuades victims to engage in sexual acts, harm themselves, and even attempt suicide during live video calls while their members watch.
Christina said a member of 764 gained her daughter’s trust before manipulating and coercing her.
She said: “I watched my mother be diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and fight for her life, and watching it wasn’t as hard as watching my daughter deteriorate.
“It was faster and worse than watching someone die of cancer.”
Christina said it was difficult to save her daughter from 764’s grasp.
“I kept saying, ‘Block them, stop talking to them,’ but I wasn’t seeing the level of influence and the level of fear that was already there.”
“They absolutely beat him to make him feel like he was absolutely nothing without them or with them.”
Christina and her daughter are slowly rebuilding their lives, and she says she wants parents to understand the dangers posed by these groups.
“My daughter stopped sleeping. She stopped eating,” she said.
“As a mother, I felt alone. I was scared, I was helpless. [and] desperate.”
The National Crime Agency (NCA) regards groups such as 764 as some of the “most severe and serious online threats” it deals with.
Members of such groups are getting younger and their crimes are less reported, says Rob Richardson, deputy online child sexual exploitation threat officer at the NCA.
“Being able to talk to victims is often quite challenging for law enforcement,” he said.
“Victims often do not recognize themselves as victims, which makes the situation particularly difficult. Young girls are extremely vulnerable.
“Our advice to parents is to use parental controls to show interest in what they do online and try to have non-judgmental conversations if possible.”
The Molly Rose Foundation, set up in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who died by suicide after being exposed to harmful content online, says it is alarmed by the “explosive growth” of groups such as 764.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the charity, said: “We know they operate in full view on major platforms that most children in this country will use every day.
“These groups are truly at the forefront of the threat of suicide and self-harm facing our young people.”
The 764 network was founded in 2020 by US teenager Bradley Cadenhead, who was 15 at the time. It is believed to be named after the partial zip code of his hometown in Texas.
Police say the organization is part of an international network of far-right groups that espouse what officers call “militant accelerator ideology”.
Finnigan, who joined the 764 group after Christina’s daughter was targeted, boasted to other members in online chats about his attempts to get children to harm them.
Following his arrest, Finnigan, who was 18 at the time, was asked by police what he knew about 764.
Finnigan said: “They’re blackmailing people into actually using anyone because of their race, their mental health issues, or whether they’re mentally vulnerable.”
He pleaded guilty to inciting suicide, possessing a terrorism manual and possessing indecent images of children.
In sentencing, Judge Jay said Finnigan posed a “high risk of serious harm to the public”.
Counter-terrorism police warned that the group posed a “major threat”.
Since 2009, Counter Terrorism Policing South East has been responsible for co-ordinating the regional counter-terrorism response and providing specialist support to police forces in Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and the Thames Valley.
Det Ch Supt Claire Finlay, chief executive of the organisation, said: “The Cameron Finnigan case has really shone a light on the influence these online groups have.
“Part of this is trying to make parents, carers and guardians more aware of the threat and what young people are getting into.”
Counter Terrorism Policing SoutheastLast year, the FBI issued an unprecedented warning about 764, saying he “used threats, blackmail, and manipulation to induce victims to record or livestream self-harm, sexually explicit acts, and/or suicide.”
The FBI announced that it has launched an investigation into 250 people connected to 764 and other online networks.
There were arrests of 764 people Child abuse, kidnapping and murder in at least eight countriesIncluding England.
- If you are affected by the issues raised in this article, you can find help and support at: BBC Action Line
To talk Assume Nothing: The creation of a Young Satanist podcastThe senior investigating officer in Cameron Finnigan’s case says he is concerned it could influence more young people to commit violent crimes as the BBC’s new series investigates the 764 group.
He said: “There is an increasing number of these people who may have been involved initially. [764] “Because they thought it was fun to exploit defenseless people or make fake bomb threats, they actually became radicalized within that group.”
