U.K. man pleads guilty to using online forum to encourage sexual assault of unconscious women

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Darren Conway, who has admitted nine counts of assisting or encouraging an offence, one count of voyeurism, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image. (Metropolitan Police/PA Wire/AP via CNN Newsource)

Warning: Graphic content

A man from North London pleaded guilty to charges related to encouraging other members of an online forum to sexually assault drugged victims, London’s Metropolitan Police announced on Friday.

Police discovered the forum in October 2025 and established a national co-ordination group, led by the U.K.’s National Crime Agency (NCA), to investigate the matter.

The investigation led authorities to 52-year-old Darren Conway of Enfield, whom officers had identified as one of the group chat members.

On July 30, police executed a search warrant on Conway’s home, where they seized his digital devices and arrested him.

Messages on his devices revealed that Conway had urged other forum members to engage in sexual assault against drugged or sleeping women, later encouraging the perpetrators to share images in the chat, according to Met Police.

Through the chat room, Conway viewed sleeping women more than 10 times, police said.

“Conway’s actions were shocking. By encouraging others to engage in sexual offending against victims who were unconscious, asleep, or otherwise stupefied, he has put women at a serious risk of harm in their own homes — all for his own sexual gratification,” Met Police Commander Andy Day said.

On Friday, Conway appeared in London’s Wood Green Crown Court and pleaded guilty to nine counts of assisting or encouraging an offence, in addition to charges of voyeurism and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

In court, Conway wore a gray tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and to plead guilty, the U.K.’s Press Association (PA). reported.

He is set to be charged on Oct. 30.

‘Vile acts against women’

The case is representative of a wider trend of online forums serving as platforms for offenders to encourage others to drug and sexually assault unconscious victims.

An international police operation uncovered a highly organized online ecosystem of offenders, Europol and Britain’s NCA revealed in July.

In the chatrooms, the predominantly male perpetrators co-ordinate assaults and share information and imagery of the abuse, authorities said.

Ciara Bergman, the CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales – a charity that provides services to people affected by sexual violence and abuse – said that the scale and co-ordination of the drug-facilitated sexual abuse on the forums was “deeply alarming.”

“Sadly, though, they are not surprising,” Bergman added. “These abuses are rooted in the same misogyny and objectification which underpin violence against women and girls the world over.”

CNN conducted an undercover investigation into the issue, discovering online networks in which men encourage others to commit sexually violent acts against women.

The issue was brought to a global audience during the high-profile case of Gisele Pelicot in France. Pelicot’s former husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he solicited dozens of strangers to rape his then-wife while she was unconscious. The shocking crime ignited conversations around the presence of gender-based violence in France.

Since then, police have made several arrests and secured convictions in similar cases across Europe.

In many instances, the victims are unaware that they have been sexually assaulted until they are contacted by police, the NCA said.

Following Conway’s guilty plea, officers are continuing to work on identifying the individuals seen in the footage recovered from his seized devices.

Many of the victims are believed to reside in the U.K., but some may live overseas, according to Met Police.

The chief prosecutor in the case, Tracy Easton, said that Conway had committed “vile acts against women in their own homes.”

“Organized drug-facilitated sexual assault is abhorrent and we are determined to work with policing to bring offenders to justice,” Easton said.

“I hope this guilty plea gives confidence to anyone who believes they may have been subjected to similar abuse to come forward.”

By Mitchell McCluskey, CNN

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

• Call 911 if you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety.
• The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres’ website has a comprehensive list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling. 
• The Ending Violence Association of Canada’s website has links to helplines, support services and locations across Canada that offer sexual assault kits.
• Indian Residential School Survivors Society crisis lines: [phone] or [phone] (24/7)
• Toronto Rape Crisis Centre crisis line: [phone] (24/7)
• Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: [phone] (24/7)
• Trans Lifeline: [phone]
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)
• Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre for current and former Canadian Armed Forces members: [phone]
• Read about your rights as a victim on the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime website.