Police reveal in a new TV program that the use of cutting-edge AI software was essential in demonstrating how a pedophile groomed and sexually assaulted young girls.
Forensics: The Real CSI on BBC Two has provided documentation of the conviction of Luke Cassidy, a 29-year-old Coventry resident.
According to investigators, it took them some time to gather enough proof that Cassidy controlled and trained girls.
But they later discovered deleted messages and pictures on his phone, which helped to secure his January conviction.
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When a 12-year-old girl claimed Cassidy groomed her on Snapchat before raping her, the man was taken into custody.
But even though he told police he had sex with her, he insisted she told him she was only 16 at the time. In order to pursue charges, it was also necessary to support his victim's claims of grooming.
The victim reportedly told police she had been inside Cassidy's Nissan Juke, which led to the police seizing it, according to forensic coordinator Jo Ward.
However, the evidence only showed that Cassidy had sex in it; his victim's DNA was not found in the car.
The defendant and victim's phones were then inspected by digital forensics officer Dan Coley, who was only able to establish that they were acquainted and had spoken.
According to him, the initial phase of the investigation ran the risk of being "the end of that investigation" because there was "nothing potentially there" to corroborate the victim's account of what transpired.
The ability to dissect Cassidy's account then became available, along with a breakthrough.
Detectives explained that a 13-year-old girl had come forward and told them that a man had made sexual advances to her online.
Once it was established that Cassidy was responsible for that content, investigators were finally able to compile evidence against him and bring the first victim under their purview.
Computers can carry out difficult tasks thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). In this instance, specialized software was trained on the language used in Cassidy's messages to the second victim and then used to search for any instances of similar language on Cassidy's phone.
Indecent pictures of kids were found, along with messages that demonstrated he was grooming kids and was in fact a predator, according to Mr. Coley.
Then, Cassidy was accused. He admitted guilt in court to one count of rape and another of possessing Class B drugs with the intent to resell them, but he denied an additional charge of online grooming and five counts of rape.
However, he was found guilty on all counts at Warwick Crown Court in December and sentenced to 19 years in prison, with five more to be served on parole. Additionally, he was indefinitely added to the list of sex offenders.
According to Mr. Coley, "This outcome matters to me.". Not only as a parent, but also with the belief that our main goal in life is to protect children. " .
Cassidy "took innocence," according to Det Con Corinne Hatton of the West Midlands Police, and targeted the most defenseless members of society.
By June, police said they had found 14 additional victims, and they were now working to locate and assist them.
Watch "Forensics: The Real CSI - Tracking a Paedophile" on BBC Two on Tuesday, June 6 at 21:00 BST, or go to. BBC iPlayer following a broadcast.
The BBC Action Line has information on organizations that can help if you are impacted by any of the problems discussed in this article.
