British police are investigating an alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl in the VR metaverse. Donna Jones, president of the Police and Crime Commissioners Association, told the BBC that a complaint was made in 2023 and the investigation is ongoing.

The news was first reported by the Daily Mail, which said the victim was a girl under 16. The girl was allegedly assaulted by several strangers while using the headset, who approached her avatar and began touching her with their own avatars. The original report does not note that the platform involved is Meta's Horizon Worlds, but it does include a statement from Meta. Prior to the publication of this article, we have not been told any details about what happened, but intend to investigate as soon as more information becomes available.

News of the investigation immediately triggered a debate through the media and social media about the role of the police in "virtual" crimes. According to the Mail, the police have not disclosed the details of the case out of a desire to protect the child in question and "for several reasons, fearing that prosecution would be impossible."

One senior police officer familiar with the case is quoted: "This child experienced the same psychological trauma as someone who was physically raped. There are more long-term emotional and psychological effects on the victim than there are physical injuries. There are many challenges for law enforcement given that current laws are not designed for this type of situation"

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"Laws need to be updated because they have not kept pace with the risk of harm that develops from crimes on platforms such as artificial intelligence and the metaverse," Jones added. The government needs to consider changing the law to protect women and children from harm in these virtual environments."

There have been no prosecutions in the UK for such crimes committed in online games or metaverse-type experiences. The reason for the frequent references to the law is that the UK Sexual Offences Act (2003) defines both rape and sexual assault as physical. In other words, since there was no physical contact in this case, prosecution under the current law is not possible. There is also the issue that the individuals involved may not have been based in the UK in the first place.

"The modus operandi of criminals is constantly evolving. That's why collective fights against criminals like this one are essential to ensure that young people are protected online and can use technology safely and without threat or fear." [The metaverse creates an opening for predators to commit horrific crimes against children. Therefore, our policing methods must continually evolve to be able to relentlessly pursue predators and protect victims in all online spaces.

Critchley credited the passage of the Online Safety Act last year as "a force multiplier" and said tech companies need to do more to "make their platforms safe places."

James Cleverley, Conservative Minister and Minister of the Interior, was interviewed by LBC Radio about the report and his reaction. Cleverly said, "It's easy to dismiss this as not real, but the whole point of these virtual environments is that they are incredibly immersive.

"And we are talking here about a child, and children experience sexual trauma, and we are talking about a child who has experienced sexual trauma, and we are talking about a child who has experienced sexual trauma.

"It is also worth understanding that someone who is willing to inflict such trauma on a child digitally may be someone who is capable of doing terrible things in the physical realm. I believe we have an obligation to take these issues seriously."

The name of the specific police force investigating the alleged assault has not been disclosed.