Bangkok: A 13-year-old Mathayom 1 student has approached the Cyber Police with a complaint against an LGBTQ individual who allegedly used his photos to lure him into a date. The victim claims that after resisting the individual’s advances and fleeing, his private photos were leaked online.
According to Thai News Agency, the Sai Mai Must Survive page, alongside staff from a children and family shelter, teachers, and the boy’s guardians, lodged a formal complaint with Pol. Maj. Gen. Sirawat Deepo, Commander of the Technology Crime Investigation Division 1. The complaint details that an individual, posing as a woman named ‘Rin,’ used a misleading profile picture to entice the young boy into a compromising situation in her room. Upon his refusal and escape, intimate photos that had been exchanged during their online chats were made public.
Authorities have obtained evidence, including social media accounts used for communication and images of the room where the alleged incident took place. Investigators are optimistic about identifying the LGBTQ individual involved and anticipate no significant challenges in tracking and prosecuting them.
The victim, being a minor, is protected under laws that impose severe penalties for distributing explicit content involving children under the age of 18. The legal repercussions could involve imprisonment up to 7 years, escalating to 10 years if the content was distributed for profit. Even possession for personal use could result in a 5-year sentence. Moreover, the case could also invoke the Computer Act if the perpetrator is found to have used another’s image for impersonation and other indecent activities.