UK ministers have said they remain committed to online safety after a coroner addressed a preventing future deaths report to the UK and Welsh governments following the death of Cai Davies, an 18-year-old who took his own life after being targeted in a sextortion scam.
Davies, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, died in June 2025 after he had sent messages to a woman he believed had a romantic interest in him. South Wales Central Coroner's Court heard he had been targeted by scammers operating from Africa, who demanded money and threatened to send intimate images to his friends and post them on YouTube. Assistant coroner Rachel Knight recorded a conclusion of suicide and said it was "more likely than not" that personal stresses in his life together with falling victim to the sextortion scam "more than minimally contributed" to his death.
In her Regulation 28 preventing future deaths report to the UK and Welsh governments, Knight wrote: "Conversation quickly turned sexual and she asked him for intimate images, which were then used to blackmail him for money by threatening to send the images to his family and friends, and to upload them to a YouTube channel. The images were indeed sent to at least one of Cai's Facebook friends by the scammer. Cai was bombarded with video calls and messages via Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp over a very short period of time making demands for money."
Responding, Online Safety Minister Ian Murray said the circumstances of Davies's death were "profoundly troubling". He set out recent measures including criminalising the taking of intimate images without consent, requiring online platforms to remove those images, and the introduction of the Online Safety Act. "As the minister responsible, the government and I are fully committed to making the online world as safe as it can be for everyone, especially children and young people," he wrote.
The Welsh government said issues around telecommunications and internet services were reserved to Westminster, but Senedd ministers were committed to reducing online harm in Wales. Education Minister Anna Brychan and Culture Minister Heledd Fychan said: "The Welsh government will continue to engage with the UK government and Ofcom on current and emerging online safety risks and their implications for devolved responsibilities. We are considering the implications for devolved responsibilities of legislative proposals by the UK government relating to children and young people's access to social media and certain high-risk online features."
Brychan and Fychan added that the Welsh government would be reviewing existing guidance, developing fresh online safety guidance for schools and developing a new national online safety programme, forming part of a wider commitment to strengthening digital resilience, preventing harm and helping people affected by online exploitation to access appropriate support.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The coroner's Regulation 28 report puts formal pressure on the UK and Welsh governments to set out what they will do to prevent similar deaths.
- Ministers are relying on the Online Safety Act and new intimate-image offences, which will shape how platforms handle reports of sextortion and coercive behaviour.
- Sextortion is a cross-border crime, and the UK response could inform how other countries balance platform regulation with young people's safety.
Background
Sextortion is a form of online blackmail in which scammers threaten to release intimate images unless a victim pays, often after building trust through social media or messaging apps. The case has become a reference point for UK debates about platform regulation and the Online Safety Act, which imposes duties on companies to protect users from harmful content.
Key Perspectives
- Assistant coroner Rachel Knight: recorded a conclusion of suicide and said it was "more likely than not" that the sextortion scam, alongside personal stresses, "more than minimally contributed" to Cai Davies's death.
- Online Safety Minister Ian Murray: called the case "profoundly troubling" and said the government and he are "fully committed" to making the online world as safe as possible, citing new criminal offences and platform duties to remove intimate images.
- Welsh government: committed to reducing online harm in Wales, reviewing school guidance, and considering the implications of UK legislative proposals on children's access to social media and high-risk online features.
What to Watch
- Formal responses from the UK and Welsh governments to the coroner's Regulation 28 report and any new online safety measures they bring forward.
- The Welsh government's planned online safety guidance for schools and its new national online safety programme.
- Progress on UK legislative proposals on children's access to social media and high-risk online features, which the Welsh government says it is watching for implications for devolved responsibilities.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedMinisters vowed online safety action after a teenager died following a sextortion scam.BBC News: “The UK government has said it remains committed to making the online world as safe as possible for young people following the death of a teenager who took his own life after he fell victim to an online sextortion scam.”
- SupportedThe coroner said personal stresses together with the sextortion scam more than minimally contributed to Cai Davies's death, on the balance of probabilities.BBC News: “Knight said it was "more likely than not" that personal stresses in his life together with falling victim to the sextortion scam "more than minimally contributed" to his death.”
- SupportedThe UK government said it remained committed to online safety after Davies's death.BBC News: “The UK government has said it remains committed to making the online world as safe as possible for young people following the death of a teenager”
- SupportedThe coroner addressed a Regulation 28 preventing future deaths report to the UK and Welsh governments.BBC News: “The coroner addressed a Regulation 28 preventing future deaths report, external to the UK and Welsh government with her concerns about how Cai had fallen victim to the scam.”
- SupportedCai Davies was 18 and died in June 2025.BBC News: “Cai Davies, 18, died in June 2025”
- SupportedDavies was targeted by scammers operating from Africa, who demanded money and threatened to send intimate photos to his friends and post them on YouTube.BBC News: “he had been targeted by scammers operating from Africa, who demanded money from him and said intimate photos would be sent to his friends and posted on YouTube.”
- SupportedAssistant coroner Rachel Knight recorded a conclusion of suicide.BBC News: “Assistant coroner Rachel Knight recorded a conclusion of suicide after Davies, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, died.”
- SupportedKnight wrote that the woman asked Davies for intimate images, which were used to blackmail him with threats to send them to family and friends and upload them to YouTube.BBC News: “Conversation quickly turned sexual and she asked him for intimate images, which were then used to blackmail him for money by threatening to send the images to his family and friends, and to upload them to a YouTube channel.”
- SupportedKnight wrote that the images were sent to at least one of Davies's Facebook friends and that he was bombarded with calls and messages.BBC News: “The images were indeed sent to at least one of Cai's Facebook friends by the scammer. "Cai was bombarded with video calls and messages via Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp over a very short period”
- SupportedOnline Safety Minister Ian Murray called the circumstances of Davies's death profoundly troubling.BBC News: “Murray wrote: "The circumstances surrounding Cai's death are profoundly troubling and I am grateful to you for drawing these matters to my attention."”
- SupportedMurray cited criminalising the taking of intimate images without consent, requiring platforms to remove them, and introducing the Online Safety Act as recent measures.BBC News: “These included criminalising the taking of intimate images without consent, a requirement for online platforms to remove those images, and the introduction of the Online Safety Act.”
- SupportedThe Welsh government said it would review existing guidance, develop online safety guidance for schools and create a new national online safety programme as part of its wider commitment to prevent harm and support people affected by online exploitation.BBC News: “Brychan and Fychan said the Welsh government would be reviewing existing guidance as well as developing fresh online safety guidance for schools and a new national online safety programme. "These actions will form part of the Welsh government's wider commitment to strengthening digital resilience, preventing harm and helping people affected by online exploitation to access appropriate support."”