Paedophile who used social media app, Live.Me, to target schoolgirl gets four years
A convicted paedophile who used a social media application to lure a nine-year-old girl into posting a sexual video of herself online has been jailed for four years in England.
Glen Friend, 28, used live streaming app Live.Me to encourage the schoolgirl to post the footage that was viewed by more than 300 users.
In it she exposed intimate parts of her body, the Metropolitan Police said.
Friend, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to one count of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, was jailed at Snaresbrook Court on Monday.
He was also given a two-year extended supervision order.
The case is believed to be one of the Met's first successful convictions relating to misuse of Live.Me to gain access to young children in a bid to groom them.
It is one of the fastest growing apps of its type worldwide and users have limited control over who views their posts.
During May 2017, Friend was heavily involved, along with others, in encouraging the girl into actions including exposing intimate parts of her body.
Detective Sergeant Fenton Davis said: "This application is extremely well used by children. Those who register seek to gain likes and electronic gifts from other users.
"The more they receive, the higher their status within that online community.
"Glen Friend is a predatory sexual offender, who targeted a vulnerable victim via this app.
"Offenders who seek to hide behind an online username in an attempt to hide their identity will be relentlessly pursued by investigators."
He added: "The amount of damage this type of encounter causes to these very young victims can be extensive.
"It became apparent from our talks with the girl in this case that she is easily upset and very sensitive after what she has gone through.
"Parents should be ever vigilant of their child's activity on social media sites, particularly in regard to video streaming apps."
Friend, from Walthamstow, east London, was arrested on August 4 as he left prison, having served time for breaching sex offender notification requirements.
The Sexual Harm Prevention Order that he was subject to expressly forbade him from communicating with any individual under 18 years of age via social media/the internet, among other stipulations.
