'I was a shell of a person': Victims of Anthony Burns tell of blackmail and online abuse trauma

Victims have spoken to ITV News about the lasting trauma Anthony Burns' actions have caused.

A woman who was blackmailed by dangerous online predator Anthony Burns has told ITV News she was a "shell of a person" after he "controlled her life for four years".

Burns, 39, was jailed for 24 years on Friday - but his actions will stay with his many victims for the rest of their lives.

Sarah, who is from the East Midlands and whose name we have changed to protect her identity, was blackmailed and sexually exploited by Burns after they met online.

"I was disgusted in myself, I was ashamed of what I'd done," she told ITV News.

"It was such a difficult time in my life where the anxiety took over, the depression took over. I was a shell of a person."

She said: "I used to be a bright, bubbly, outgoing person with a normal day to day life. I would go to work alright, I would go out with friends alright, and I just stopped everything.

"I had no life. I was trying to avoid anyone and everyone. My family would ring me and I wouldn't pick up. I was just a shell of a person. I would stay in all of the time. I wouldn't leave my room. I completely confined myself to my home and it's sad because that's where it all took place."

Sarah says she connected with Burns on a dating app not long after she came out of a toxic relationship and where he was posing as an American.

Sarah says she was in a bit of financial trouble at the time and Burns offered her $600 in exchange for a number of sexually explicit videos, which Sarah felt were quite "tame" at first.

However, when she queried why Burns hadn't paid her he sent her photos of her family's social media pages and threatened to expose her.

He then began blackmailing her into sending increasingly graphic videos.

She says she was worried for her safety and the safety of her family and friends - or that he would expose her.

"I thought he'd send everything to my family and my friends," she said.

"It was easy for him to find who I was. I never knew if he was going to just show up at my home. What he'd do to me, what he could do to my friends, my family. I didn't know what to think."

Apart from the National Crime Agency and the police, Sarah says she has only told one other person about everything that she has been through.

She says seeing Burns in court has helped to bring some kind of closure.

"Seeing him walk through was almost a sense of relief, it was a weight off my shoulders to see such a lonely looking man who has absolutely no self-worth," she said.

"He had nothing to show for himself. He couldn't look at any of us. It made me feel amazing in a way because I knew I'd taken that power back from him after he controlled my life for four years."

• "It was scary", says one victim who was bombarded with messages from Burns.

Sophie Goodall, from London, met Burns on a dating app and he soon moved the conversation to WhatsApp.

When his messages became very explicit and demanding Sophie blocked Burns - but he began to contact her from different phone numbers, sending screenshots of her social media pages and the pages of her family.

"It was scary how many phone numbers he had on hand," said Sophie.

"It was like a barrage of all these different people who were all him just saying the same thing, sending me disgusting messages, disgusting photos and just wouldn't leave me alone."

After Burns bombarded her with hundreds of messages in a matter of hours Sophie called the police.

Asked what she thought the man who was messaging her was capable of, Ms Goodall said: “I was really terrified that he was going to murder me.

“I was really scared that he would turn up at my house. The way that he framed his messaging and the imagery that he expected me to reciprocate … was so alarming.

“I was in my home where I should feel safe and I should feel protected and on a device where I should have control over everything.

“And for that to be violated and for you to feel really violated, even though you did nothing … is quite terrifying.”

Burns was jailed on Friday at Birmingham Crown Court, having admitted 41 offences and being convicted of two others relating to a seven-year-old girl living in the US.

Who to contact if you or someone you know needs help

If you are concerned about your safety online, please visit www.getsafeonline.org or call the Samaritans on 116 123 for confidential support.

Think U Know - Online blackmail advice for parents on young people being blackmailed online.

Child protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation also runs the Stop It Now! helpline – 0808 1000 900 – which offers confidential advice to anyone concerned about their own or someone else’s behaviour towards children.

Papyrus provide confidential advice and support and works to prevent young suicide in the UK. Call 0800 068 4141.

The Revenge Porn Helpline supports adults in the UK who have had intimate images shared without their consent.

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