A paedophile who posed as a teenage girl online before goading detectives to ‘keep digging’ was trying to ‘groom police officers’, a new documentary has claimed.
Jay Lang got dozens of young boys to send him indecent pictures of themselves, before blackmailing them into sending more explicit images or demanding cash.
The 24-year-old from Canvey Island in Essex set up accounts on Snapchat and Instagram under a pseudonym, claiming to be a 16-year-old girl called ‘Chloe’.
He would target boys aged 11 to 16 before conversations turned sexually explicit as he would encourage them to send him indecent videos and photos of themselves.
Unbeknown to the victims, ‘predatory’ Lang was using a screen-recording app on his phone and would save the images, and later use them to blackmail the boys.
Lang would reveal himself as a man and ask for further images or demand cash, threatening to publish the images the boys had already sent if they did not comply.
He was finally caught after a brave victim raised the alarm, prompting Essex Police to open one of their largest ever child sexual exploitation cases to bring him to justice.
When Lang was brought in for a police interview, officers were filmed questioning him about how hundreds of thousands of indecent images ended up on his phone.
Jay Lang is questioned at Basildon police station in Essex after his arrest in November 2021
Jay Lang, of Canvey Island, set up accounts on Snapchat and Instagram under a pseudonym
Video footage of the interview was analysed by a clinical psychologist and detective for a new episode of Social Media Monsters airing on Channel 4 at 10pm tonight.
Lang is heard telling officers: ‘Keep digging.’ One then replies: ‘We’ve done the investigation and it points to you mate. That’s the reason why we’re here.’
But Lang says: ‘Keep digging, it won’t, trust me.’ When asked whether he is sure, Lang replies: ‘I’m 100 per cent it won’t.’
The officer says: ‘But you seem to be indicating that there’s someone else involved in this and you’re not responsible. Is that right? Is that what you’re indicating?’
Lang tells him: ‘Even if I did give you a name, I’m just going to be in here even longer.’
He is told by another officer that police ‘can only hold you for a certain amount of time’, before the first officer says: ‘In the grand scheme of things, isn’t that a good thing in relation to getting this sorted out and showing you’re not the person responsible for this?’
But Lang replies: ‘What and then to be constantly looking over your shoulder?’
When Lang was brought in for an interview, Essex Police officers were filmed questioning him
During the interview by Essex Police detectives, Lang is heard telling them: ‘Keep digging’
The officer says: ‘Are you willing to tell us anything about anyone else who may be involved, or anyone else who may be threatening you or making you do things you didn’t want to do. Is there anything you can tell us in relation to that?’
The clip also includes analysis from Detective Sergeant Ben Rushmere, supervising officer at Essex Police, who says: ‘He was trying to groom us as well, which I find quite common in predators and sexual offenders.
‘They don’t normally fight with police, they don’t normally want to be your enemy; they want to be your friend. They almost play the victim themselves in front of us.’
Also commenting on this clip is clinical psychologist Dr Roberta Babb, who adds: ‘By saying ‘keep digging’, he is really demonstrating a lack of remorse.
‘But I think what he’s also trying to do is to maintain a sense of control and superiority because we know that power and control were core aspects of his offending behaviour.’
Lang was jailed for 21 years at Basildon Crown Court in September 2023.
He sexually abused one of the boys in person after they felt they had no choice but to agree to his request to meet, the court was told.
Lang also blackmailed another boy into filming himself performing a sex act with a male friend.
Clinical psychologist Dr Roberta Babb explains Lang was ‘demonstrating a lack of remorse’
The court heard the offending spanned around three years, from 2019 to 2021, and came to light in November 2021 when one of the victims reported what happened to him to police.
Police analysis of Lang’s phone identified 540 videos and 140,000 images, with 220 potential victims identified.
Some 26 victims provided evidential accounts to officers.
One victim told how he was sent a selfie-style image of a topless teenage girl – who the boy thought he was speaking with.
Lang’s fake social media account said it was ‘only fair’ that the boy should send an image back, which the victim did with an image of his genitals.
The account requested further images and video of the boy performing a sex act.
When the boy tried to cease contact with the account, Lang got in touch via a separate account revealing himself as a man and threatened to share the images with the boy’s friends and family.
Detective Sergeant Ben Rushmere of Essex Police says: ‘He was trying to groom us as well’
The defendant asked to meet in person and the boy agreed to due to the threats of publishing the images, the court heard – before Lang drove the boy to a secluded location in a van and sexually abused him.
Referring to another victim, the court was told Lang demanded £2,000 or the images would be posted on Facebook.
Lang admitted to 46 offences, including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, blackmail and causing or inciting child sexual exploitation.
He also admitted to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence and to causing or inciting child prostitution of pornography.
Lang was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.
He was jailed for 21 years with an extended licence period of six years afterwards.
Social Media Monsters airs on Channel 4 tonight at 10pm. Stream the full series on Channel 4
