Proceedings [PDF] - Measurement and Analysis of P2P Activity ...

International Conference Advances in the Analysis of Online Paedophile Activity Paris, France; 2-3 June, 2009
offender (SD= 30.11), polygraph testing was employed to validate the
offenders self reports, but the validity of this method of validation has been
questioned. Seto (2009) suggests however on the basis of his research with
over 300 child pornography offenders that this group is unlikely to be
convicted for contact sexual offences. 4% of 301 child pornography offenders
were convicted for sexual abuse contact offences over a 3.9 year period. This
study is however based upon reconviction data and not offender self report.
Preliminary findings from ongoing doctoral research employing documantary
analaysis of online grooming offender case files and conducted with a Police
High Technology Crime Unit in the UK (Martellozzo, 2009) suggests that:
1. The majority of sex offenders in the study began to satisfy their
fantasies of abusing children by simply exploring cyberspace. In doing
so they quickly discovered sites that would satisfy their imagination to
the point of actively engaging in erotic dialogues with children and
other offenders and downloading pornography.
2. The majority of groomers sent undercover police officers some type of
adult pornography or child abuse images during the grooming process.
Almost two-thirds of the subjects exposed themselves to the
undercover officer via photograph or web-cam. However, some
suspects used images as a grooming tool, most stated that they used
them principally for sexual gratification.
3. Existing literature demonstrates that sex offenders have a tendency to
deny responsibility for their offending and to attribute blame to either
the victim or to circumstances (Gudjonnssen, 1988). Martellozzo’s
(2009) research with online offenders demonstrates that they tended to
minimise their intention to sexually abuse a child. Several subjects
claimed the communication was just ’fantasy’ and that they thought
they were talking to an adult. However a significant proportion of
subjects who met the undercover police officers thinking they were
meeting a 12 year old girl. Of these subjects only one declared his
intention to abuse the child. The others were in denial even when found
in possession of condoms and other child abuse items.Respondents
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