Photo betrayal: Teenage Thai boy suffers from depression after being blackmailed by 10 classmates

A 15 year old boy is suffering from depression after 10 of his classmates used his naked photo to blackmail him.

The victim’s father said the incident happened at the end of July. Three classmates created Instagram accounts pretending to be three female students. The boys used the accounts to chat and flirt with the victim before tricking the victim into sending naked pictures.

After receiving the pictures, seven of his classmates shared them on various social media platforms, leaving the victim embarrassed and depressed.

The father said that his once cheerful and active son underwent a significant transformation following the incident. Observing these changes, he decided to seek a mental health check for his son, revealing that the test results indicated the emergence of depression.

Due to the incident’s impact, the son was unable to attend school, prompting the father to plan his resignation effective November 25. Despite a subsequent mental health check, the boy’s panic symptoms showed minimal improvement.

On November 16, the boy’s father visited Wang Thong Lang Police Station to formally file a complaint against the 10 students. He clarified that filing a complaint was not initially his intention but the lack of an apology from the suspects to him and his son compelled him to take this action.

A lawyer, Pornsak Wipat-arparnon, accompanied the father to the police station and told the media that they had filed a complaint against the suspects for violating Section 14 of the Computer Act by importing explicit information into a computer system.

Pornsak added that he and the father had initially spoken to the parents of the 10 boys and received 50,000 baht in compensation. However, he and the father realised that it could not compensate for what the victim had suffered.

According to the law, the 10 suspects could face up to five years in prison, a fine of up to 100,000 baht or both for violating Section 14 of the Computer Act. However, the sentence may vary depending on their age.