A 52-year-old man from Enfield has pleaded guilty to encouraging members of an online forum to drug and sexually assault unconscious women — offending police described as shocking and carried out for his own sexual gratification.
Darren Conway, of Lonsdale Drive, Enfield, appeared at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday 11 September, where he pleaded guilty to all counts against him.
Conway was charged on 26 June with two counts of assisting or encouraging an offence, relating to the sharing of an intimate photograph or film and sexual assault. He was later further charged with an additional seven counts of encouraging sexual assault, as well as voyeurism and possessing an extreme pornographic image.
The court heard that Conway was part of an online forum where videos of sexual offending and domestic abuse were shared between offenders across the country. He will be sentenced at the same court on Friday 30 October.
How the investigation unfolded
The online forum was uncovered in October 2025, leading to the establishment of a national coordination group led by the National Crime Agency (NCA). Intelligence was passed to individual police forces to conduct their own investigations, and Greater Manchester Police shared further intelligence with the Metropolitan Police.
Officers began urgent enquiries and identified Conway as one of the group chat members. He was arrested on Thursday 30 July after a warrant was executed at his home, where digital devices were seized.
Messages found on his devices showed Conway encouraging other group chat members to engage in drug-facilitated sexual offending, alongside images and videos of a sexual nature. Evidence presented to the court showed he urged another member to remove a sleeping woman’s clothing and underwear and to commit sexual offences against her, then requested that the other member share images while the assault was being carried out.
Conway was found to have observed sleeping women through the online network more than ten times. The women were unaware that he was viewing them and unable to provide consent.
“Shocking” offending, police say
Commander Andy Day of the Met Police said: “Drug facilitated sexual offending can have lasting and devastating impacts on its victims.”
“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.”
Day added: “Anyone who has reason to believe that they may have been a victim of sexual offending should report to police. All victims will be supported by specialist officers and safeguarding can be put into place for their protection. We also encourage anyone who has reason to believe somebody they know is involved in this offending to come forward.”
Prosecution: “abhorrent” organised abuse
Tracy Easton, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London South, said: “Darren Conway committed vile acts against women in their own homes, a place where they should have been safe.”
She continued: “Organised drug-facilitated sexual assault is abhorrent and we are determined to work with policing to bring offenders to justice. I hope this guilty plea gives confidence to anyone who believes they may have been subjected to similar abuse to come forward.”
Court reporting of the hearing indicated the forum connected others involved in organised sexual offending and domestic abuse, with prosecutors describing scores of other offenders seen on the platform.
Victims still being identified
Officers continue to work to identify as many of the victims in the footage found on Conway’s devices as they can. While much of the offending is believed to have taken place in the UK, police say it is also possible that some victims are based overseas.
Anyone concerned about drug-facilitated sexual offending or online offending can report information to police by calling 101. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
