Push for tougher sextortion laws after Ballarat teen Rohan Cosgriff’s tragic suicide

The death of a popular Ballarat sportsman who took his own life after a blackmailer threatened to distribute an intimate image of him has sparked a push for tougher sextortion laws.

A Coroner has called for sextortion laws to be strengthened to prevent a growing number of youths ending their lives after being blackmailed by local and international criminals.

Shocking new figures reveal 13 young Victorians took their lives after their intimate images were weaponised against them in the past decade.

Among them was 17-year-old Rohan Cosgriff – a popular young sportsman with no mental health history – who tragically took his life less than an hour after a Nigerian blackmailer threatened to distribute an intimate image of him if he did not pay a $1000 ransom.

Posed as a young woman, the scammer cruelly lured the teen into sending the image before immediately threatening him even as he begged for mercy, saying he did not have the money and would kill himself.

A suicide note found by his family read: “I made a huge mistake. I’m sorry. I love you all. This is life ending.”

Rohan Cosgriff, 17, tragically died by suicide in 2022.

An inquest into the St Patrick’s College student’s death on July 26, 2022 found laws surrounding sextortion and image-based abuse must be bolstered, particularly in situations involving international sextortion syndicates.

Both state and federal police were unable to identify the individual or syndicate which drove Rohan to suicide, it can be revealed.

The case was closed on October 11 last year, meaning no one has been held responsible.

Coroner Audrey Jamieson this week called for the expansion of a statutory review of the Online Safety Act 2021 to urgently address the growing threat of sextortion faced by Australian youths.

The review, led by Delia Rickard PSM on behalf of The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, will examine new protections to combat harmful online material.

Coroner Jamieson said sextortion was referenced only once in the review’s public consultation process which closed in June, but that she is hopeful Rohan’s death will further inform the review.

“I believe that this issue must be addressed with some urgency to prevent further suicides in tragic circumstances from occurring,” Judge Jamieson said.

The popular young sportsman had no history of mental health issues.

The review coincides with the Herald Sun’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, aimed at saving Australian children from unprecedented harms posed by social media.

The campaign is pushing for the age limit for children to access social media to be raised to 16 to address skyrocketing rates of self-harm, suicide and eating disorders linked to exposure of harmful online content.

A Coronial database found 13 young Victorians took their lives after being subjected to sextortion or image-based abuse in the past decade.

A further seven youths committed suicide after bullying of a sexual nature.

Coroner Jamieson said shame, embarrassment and guilt often prevent sextortion victims from disclosing what happened to them.

Friends and family gathered for the funeral of Rohan Cosgriff at St Patrick's Cathedral.

She said Rohan’s death may have been prevented had he shared his ordeal with family, friends or police – and that conversations around sextortion must change to save lives.

“No matter how many times the message ‘don’t send intimate images’ is repeated, young people will continue to do these things, and the conversation must turn to should you find yourself in this situation, it is going to be okay,” Judge Jamieson said.

“We need to empower our young people to speak up about what has happened to them, to talk about a shameful or embarrassing situation before those feelings compound into something they perceive as impossible to confront.

“To use two old adages – a problem shared is a problem halved and this too shall pass.

“If a young person finds themselves in a situation like Rohan did, the most important thing is that they know they have not done anything wrong, that they are a victim, that there is help and resources available to them, and that the situation will not define the rest of their lives.”

Help is available at Lifeline 13 11 14 or the eSafety Commissioner website which regulates online safety and provides advice to people impacted by sextortion or image-based abuse.