CAMBRIDGE MAN ZSOLT PETRAS SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN DARK WEB CHAT ROOMS
| Red Rose Database
Cambridge Rapist
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Cambridge, Zsolt Petras, a 40-year-old man from Bridgacre, was sentenced to prison after being found guilty of attempting to engage in sexual activities with minors through online chat rooms on the dark web.
According to court records, Petras, who has been employed as a Vue Cinema manager since November 2014, was involved in a series of disturbing online conversations with individuals he believed to be minors. His activities came to light after police investigations uncovered his illicit online behavior, which included attempts to groom young girls for sexual acts.
The first known interaction took place between December 23, 2016, and January 2017, when Petras initiated a conversation with a user claiming to be a single mother with an eight-year-old daughter. During this chat, Petras offered to pay her £100 to have sex with her at her home. However, the conversation took a sinister turn when he inquired whether the child would be present during the act and explicitly asked if the girl could be involved in oral sex. The conversation eventually ceased without any meeting taking place.
On December 24, 2016, Petras, then aged 38, engaged with another user claiming to be 15 years old. He falsely stated he was 33 and asked her if she would be willing to have sex with an older man. The conversation escalated as Petras requested explicit photographs of her breasts and genitals, which she sent. In return, Petras sent explicit images of himself naked. He then proposed they go on webcam to perform sexual acts together, but the girl claimed she did not have a webcam. Despite this, she sent another explicit photograph of herself, and Petras provided his phone number, suggesting they call each other before the chat ended.
Further disturbing interactions occurred on April 9, when Petras engaged with a girl claiming to be 13 years old. He asked her for photographs, discussed sexual activities, and even sent her a photograph of his genitalia. These conversations highlight a pattern of predatory behavior involving minors.
The police investigation intensified when an indecent image of a child was uploaded to the internet and traced back to Petras’s home address. A warrant was executed on October 5, 2017, during which authorities seized his mobile phone, hard drive, and an Apple laptop. Forensic analysis revealed a significant collection of pornography, including 77 indecent images of children. Among these, 26 were classified as Category A, depicting the most severe forms of abuse, such as rape and torture of children. The devices also contained a detailed history of his conversations with the three users.
Prosecutor Sara Walker told Cambridge Crown Court that there was no evidence to confirm whether the individuals Petras interacted with were genuine minors or vigilantes attempting to catch paedophiles. The police were unable to trace the identities of the users involved, as Petras had uploaded an indecent image of a child to the internet, which led to his detection.
During the trial, Petras admitted to multiple charges, including attempting to facilitate a child sex offence, inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, and attempting to communicate sexually with a minor. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of children, with images classified as Category A, B, and C.
Judge Jonathan Cooper sentenced Zsolt Petras to two years in prison, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the danger posed to children. The case underscores the ongoing threat posed by online predators and the importance of vigilant law enforcement efforts to combat such heinous activities in the digital age.
According to court records, Petras, who has been employed as a Vue Cinema manager since November 2014, was involved in a series of disturbing online conversations with individuals he believed to be minors. His activities came to light after police investigations uncovered his illicit online behavior, which included attempts to groom young girls for sexual acts.
The first known interaction took place between December 23, 2016, and January 2017, when Petras initiated a conversation with a user claiming to be a single mother with an eight-year-old daughter. During this chat, Petras offered to pay her £100 to have sex with her at her home. However, the conversation took a sinister turn when he inquired whether the child would be present during the act and explicitly asked if the girl could be involved in oral sex. The conversation eventually ceased without any meeting taking place.
On December 24, 2016, Petras, then aged 38, engaged with another user claiming to be 15 years old. He falsely stated he was 33 and asked her if she would be willing to have sex with an older man. The conversation escalated as Petras requested explicit photographs of her breasts and genitals, which she sent. In return, Petras sent explicit images of himself naked. He then proposed they go on webcam to perform sexual acts together, but the girl claimed she did not have a webcam. Despite this, she sent another explicit photograph of herself, and Petras provided his phone number, suggesting they call each other before the chat ended.
Further disturbing interactions occurred on April 9, when Petras engaged with a girl claiming to be 13 years old. He asked her for photographs, discussed sexual activities, and even sent her a photograph of his genitalia. These conversations highlight a pattern of predatory behavior involving minors.
The police investigation intensified when an indecent image of a child was uploaded to the internet and traced back to Petras’s home address. A warrant was executed on October 5, 2017, during which authorities seized his mobile phone, hard drive, and an Apple laptop. Forensic analysis revealed a significant collection of pornography, including 77 indecent images of children. Among these, 26 were classified as Category A, depicting the most severe forms of abuse, such as rape and torture of children. The devices also contained a detailed history of his conversations with the three users.
Prosecutor Sara Walker told Cambridge Crown Court that there was no evidence to confirm whether the individuals Petras interacted with were genuine minors or vigilantes attempting to catch paedophiles. The police were unable to trace the identities of the users involved, as Petras had uploaded an indecent image of a child to the internet, which led to his detection.
During the trial, Petras admitted to multiple charges, including attempting to facilitate a child sex offence, inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, and attempting to communicate sexually with a minor. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of children, with images classified as Category A, B, and C.
Judge Jonathan Cooper sentenced Zsolt Petras to two years in prison, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the danger posed to children. The case underscores the ongoing threat posed by online predators and the importance of vigilant law enforcement efforts to combat such heinous activities in the digital age.