UK man pleads guilty to using online forum to encourage sexual assault of unconscious women

North London Man Admits Encouraging Sexual Assault Through Online Forum

Earthguardiansonline.com – A 52-year-old man from Enfield has admitted offences linked to an online chat group in which members were encouraged to sexually assault women who had been drugged, were asleep or otherwise unable to consent.

Darren Conway entered guilty pleas at Wood Green Crown Court in London on Friday after a Metropolitan Police investigation into the forum and material recovered from devices seized at his home.

The case forms part of a broader law-enforcement response to online spaces used by offenders to facilitate drug-enabled sexual abuse. Investigators say such groups can allow participants to communicate, exchange abusive material and encourage crimes against victims who may not know they have been targeted.

Search led to arrest and digital evidence

Police first became aware of the online forum in October 2025. A national coordination group was subsequently created under the leadership of the UK’s National Crime Agency to examine the activity connected to it.

Officers identified Conway as a participant in the group chat. On July 30, they carried out a warrant at his Enfield address, arrested him and took possession of his electronic devices.

Messages found on those devices showed Conway encouraging other users to carry out sexual assaults against women who had been sedated or were sleeping. He also urged people who committed such acts to post images in the chat group.

Police said Conway viewed footage or images involving sleeping women more than 10 times through the forum.

“Conway’s actions were shocking. By encouraging others to engage in sexual offending against victims who were unconscious, asleep, or otherwise stupefied, he has put women at a serious risk of harm in their own homes — all for his own sexual gratification,” Met Police Commander Andy Day said.

Nine counts admitted in court

At Friday’s hearing, Conway pleaded guilty to nine counts of assisting or encouraging an offence. He also admitted voyeurism and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

Conway appeared in a gray tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his identity and enter his guilty pleas. He is set to be charged on October 30.

Investigators are continuing work to identify people shown in material recovered during the search. Police believe many potential victims live in the United Kingdom, while others may be based outside the country.

That ongoing identification work is significant because victims in drug-facilitated sexual assault cases can be unaware of what happened to them until they are contacted by authorities. The National Crime Agency has highlighted that lack of awareness as a recurring feature of these investigations.

Growing scrutiny of organized online abuse

The Conway case reflects wider concern over forums where predominantly male users organize abuse, share information and circulate imagery. An international police operation described in July exposed a structured network in which participants allegedly coordinated assaults on unconscious victims.

Digital communications can create an environment in which offenders reinforce one another’s behaviour, normalize violence and seek visual material from crimes committed in private homes. The criminal conduct remains the responsibility of those who carry it out, but investigators have increasingly focused on people who encourage, assist or distribute material connected to abuse.

Ciara Bergman, chief executive of Rape Crisis England & Wales, said the apparent reach and organization of the forums was alarming but not unexpected.

“Sadly, though, they are not surprising,” Bergman added. “These abuses are rooted in the same misogyny and objectification which underpin violence against women and girls the world over.”

The issue drew international attention during the case involving Gisele Pelicot in France. Her former husband received a 20-year prison sentence after soliciting dozens of strangers to rape his then-wife while she was unconscious. The case prompted extensive discussion in France about gender-based violence and the systems that can enable it.

Police forces across Europe have since made arrests and obtained convictions in comparable investigations. Each case presents distinct legal and evidential issues, particularly where images, communications and suspected victims are spread across multiple jurisdictions.

Prosecutors urge possible victims to come forward

Tracy Easton, the chief prosecutor in Conway’s case, described the conduct as an attack on women’s safety in their own homes.

“Organized drug-facilitated sexual assault is abhorrent and we are determined to work with policing to bring offenders to justice,” Easton said. “I hope this guilty plea gives confidence to anyone who believes they may have been subjected to similar abuse to come forward.”

The investigation remains active as officers examine the seized material and attempt to establish the identities and locations of those depicted. The guilty pleas mark a major development in the criminal case against Conway, while the wider inquiry continues to focus on possible victims and other individuals involved in the online network.