A man has been jailed for eight years after it was found that he was grooming underage girls online while pretending to be Zoe Sugg.
David Harmes, 20, also claimed to be a member of boy band Bars and Melody and a modelling agent in order to coerce girls into performing sex acts over Skype.
Harmes has admitted to 35 offences against 28 victims, aged eight to 18. The offences include causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and making and distributing indecent photographs of a child.
Zoe tweeted the news to encourage her followers to be safe online:
This is why you must be SO careful who you speak to online. Please be safe guys x https://t.co/UTflaGt5vC
— Zoë (@Zoella) May 17, 2016
@osmfranta yes it makes me so angry!
— Zoë (@Zoella) May 17, 2016
A number of other YouTubers have also tweeted hoping that the victims in the case are receiving the support they need:
@Zoella I'm so sorry Zo 😞 (and OBVIOUSLY to the victims I hope they get the support they need!)
— Emma Blackery (@emmablackery) May 17, 2016
@Zoella That's terrifying! I hope you're okay and the victims are getting support.
— spook cutforth✨ (@LukeIsNotSexy) May 17, 2016
The only way to be sure that an online account belongs to a YouTuber or any other celebrity is if it’s official or verified. If you are in doubt about whether someone is who they say they are then it is important to cease all communication.
Please be careful with stuff like this! The ONLY accounts a YouTuber uses are verified to show it's the REAL them x pic.twitter.com/ZbMObbivrF
— Alfie Deyes (@PointlessBlog) May 9, 2016
If you are worried about any of the issues covered in this article you can talk to a trusted adult or to ChildLine. If you think that you or a friend may be in a similar situation then you can talk to the police.
ChildLine
ChildLine is a 24/7 service for children and young people to talk about their worries. You can call ChildLine on 0800 1111 or talk online at childline.org.uk. Calls and messages are free and confidential.
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