Police in the UK are probing the first case of rape in the metaverse after a gang of men allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl. The metaverse is a 3D virtual enironment in which headset wearers can live out a virtual life, even visiting one of a number of casinos.
The BBC’s Good Morning Britain took to X on Wednesday to share news of the alleged attack on the minor during a virtual reality game:
According to the Liverpool Echo, police believe the headset-wearing girl was in an online room with multiple other users when the virtual assault occurred. As the incident occurred in the metaverse, the suspects could not physically harm the girl. Police, however, state the attack has caused the minor “psychological and emotional trauma.”
tactics must evolve to stop perverts using new technology to exploit children.”
Under the UK’s Sexual Offences Act, the crime of rape cannot be punishable by law if it takes place in a virtual context. According to the Echo, police leaders are nevertheless calling for legislation to prosecute this form of sexual offence. The leaders state police officers’ “tactics must evolve to stop perverts using new technology to exploit children.”
UK charity the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) estimates 15% of minors between the ages of five and ten have used a virtual reality headset, with 6% using one daily.The Echo reports that headsets were popular Christmas presents for children this year, and offer users “the chance to live a digitised, fantasy life.”
