The Swindon Paedophile, Brett Saunders, an individual residing in the South West region has been incarcerated after being identified as the ‘global moderator’ of an illicit online platform dedicated to the dissemination and consumption of child sexual exploitation material. Brett Saunders, hailing from Swindon, assumed the handle ‘Wetty’ and played a pivotal role in managing the website, which boasted a membership exceeding 2,000 individuals.
Brett Saunders, aged 50, was apprehended at his residence in August 2022 following the identification by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers that he was the individual associated with the username. As the site moderator, he ensured compliance with the website’s regulations and guided users on evading detection by law enforcement.
Upon his arrest, law enforcement agents confiscated several devices, including a laptop discreetly placed under a pillow and a hard drive covertly put under an air vent. According to the NCA, when Brett Saunders’s laptop was seized, the abuse website was still up, and he was still logged in with his ‘Wetty’ identity.
Brett Saunders posted a combined total of 115 abusive photographs and films on the website. Additionally, authorities found 65,000 other files on his devices that were related to indecent images of children. Additional data on his account indicated that he had authored over 3,000 posts.
Private conversations submitted to other users substantiated Brett Saunders’ significant role in managing the site. The communications unequivocally indicated that he had rapidly ascended to the position of ‘Global Moderator’ as a result of his unwavering dedication and active promotion of discussions and dissemination of child sexual assault photographs and films.
During a police interrogation, Brett Saunders confessed to having a pedophilic inclination towards minors, specifically females between the ages of 8 and 12. He also verified that he held the position of Global Moderator on the website. According to his statement, he informed the officers that the website operated on a system that awarded users ‘reputation points’ for following the rules and distributing abusive content.
Upon accessing the site, new users were required to visit a guest portal and accumulate a minimum of 10 reputation points to gain admission to the leading site. This was achieved by sharing what Brett Saunders called “interesting material”. He had authority over the guest portal and was accountable for allocating or subtracting reputation points and determining who would be granted access to the leading site.
Following the arrest of Brett Saunders by NCA officials, he was subsequently charged by Wiltshire Police for violating the sexual harm prevention order imposed on him by the force upon his release from jail for his prior offences. He was detained and then sentenced to two years and eight months for the violation.
In a previous instance, he attended Swindon Magistrates’ Court and admitted guilt to nine charges. These charges included organising and facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, involvement in the criminal activities of an organised crime group, sharing and producing indecent images of children in categories A- C, and possessing a prohibited image of a child.
The judge at Swindon Crown Court imposed a six-year prison sentence on Saunders and ordered him to be registered as a lifelong sex offender. In addition, he was issued a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
Adam Priestley, the Branch Commander at the NCA, stated that the illicit website, which was under the control of Brett Saunders, not only facilitated access to explicit photographs of child abuse but also served as a secure environment for paedophiles with similar interests to normalise the despicable act of exploiting children.
Driven by his sexual desires, he was determined to further his career and attain the prestigious role of Global Moderator. Subsequently, he utilised his position to actively promote the dissemination of abusive content among the website’s users and to initiate conversations regarding the sexual exploitation of minors.
“This recent NCA investigation highlights that even dangerous criminals, who believe they can remain anonymous on the internet, can be identified and held responsible for their actions.” The NCA is dedicated to interrupting the most severe criminal activities on the dark web by utilising our capabilities.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.