Police are investigating the first rape case in the Metaverse after a child was “attacked” with a virtual reality video game.

A girl under the age of 16 is said to have been left distraught after her avatar (digital character) was gang-raped by strangers online.

There was no physical attack, so the victim, who was wearing the headset, was not injured.

But officers said that because the “VR” experience was designed to be fully immersive, she suffered the same psychological and emotional trauma as someone raped in the real world.

It is believed to be the first time that a sex crime has been investigated by police in the UK.

A girl under the age of 16 is said to have been left distraught after her avatar (digital character) was gang-raped by strangers online.Photo: Woman using a headset to play in the Metaverse

Virtual reality headsets are expected to be a popular gift this Christmas, with the NSPCC finding that 15% of children aged 5 to 10 use one and 6% use one every day. We estimate that

The tech giant, led by Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, has bet billions of pounds on attracting people young and old into the virtual realm of the Metaverse, selling them the chance to live a digital fantasy life. The victim was in an online “room” with a number of other users when the actual assault by several adult males took place.

Police leaders are now calling for legislation to tackle the wave of sex crimes in these areas, and to improve police tactics to stop perverts who use new technology to exploit children. He argues that we need to evolve.

But this landmark case raises questions about whether police should pursue de facto crimes, given that police and prosecutors are currently struggling to clear a huge backlog of actual rape cases. It also raises questions about whether such attacks should be prosecuted under current law.

Yesterday, Ian Critchley, director of child protection and abuse research at the National Police Chiefs' Council, warned: “The metaverse is creating a gateway for predators to commit horrific crimes against children.”

Details of this unusual virtual reality incident have been kept secret to protect the children involved, amid concerns that prosecution may be impossible for several reasons.

But a senior police officer familiar with the case said: “This child has experienced the same psychological trauma as someone who has been physically raped.” The emotional and psychological effects on victims last longer than physical injuries.

“Given that current laws are not set up for this, it poses a lot of challenges for law enforcement.”Horizo, a free VR online game run by Facebook owner Meta ​n Worlds has reported numerous sexual attacks.

In Horizon Worlds, users create their own avatars. This is an animated online representation of yourself that you can design and control while wearing a virtual reality headset or related equipment.

Nina Jane Patel, a psychotherapist who studies the Metaverse, described a “surrealistic nightmare” of being gang-raped at Horizon.

Donna Jones, president of the Police and Crime Commissioners Association, told the Mail that women and children deserve better protection, adding: “The law has not kept up with the evolving risk of harm from artificial intelligence and crime, so we need to update the law. We need to do that.” Metaverse-like platform.

Virtual reality headsets are expected to be a popular gift this Christmas, with the NSPCC finding that 15% of children aged 5 to 10 use one, and 6% use one every day. We estimate that (stock image)

“Governments need to consider changing laws to protect women and children from harm in these virtual environments.”

A senior police official told the Mail that sex crimes are now “epidemic” in the Metaverse. However, so far no prosecutions have been brought for such crimes in the UK, although police have received reports of other potential crimes, including the theft of one Avatar's valuable sword.

Police believe that the development of gaming has opened new avenues for cybercrime such as virtual robbery, ransomware, fraud and identity theft. However, the current law is unlikely to cover rape in the Metaverse, as the Sexual Offenses Act defines sexual assault as touching someone sexually without their consent.

Additionally, the nature of the Metaverse blurs geographic boundaries, making it difficult to determine which law enforcement agency has jurisdiction over a particular incident when the user and perpetrator are in different countries. It will be.

A spokesperson for Meta said, “The kind of behavior described has no place on our platform. That's why we're encouraging all of our users to enforce personal boundaries that keep strangers a few feet away. We have an automatic protection function called

Critchley added: “We know criminals,” and said the tactics used to groom themselves and commit crimes are constantly evolving. For this reason, our collective fight against predators like this one is essential to ensure young people are protected online and can use technology safely without feeling threatened or fearful. .

“The Metaverse creates a gateway for predators to commit horrific crimes against children, which we know have lifelong emotional and psychological consequences.

“That's why our policing approach must continually evolve to relentlessly pursue predators and protect victims across all online spaces.”

“Passing the Online Safety Act will help with this. We need tech companies to do more to make their platforms safe places.”