First Case of Virtual Gang Rape, UK Police Investigating Sexual Assault on Metaverse

In a first-of-its-kind investigation, UK police are probing the first reported case of sexual assault in the metaverse.

According to reports, a girl under the age of 16 was emotionally distressed when her Virtual Reality (VR) avatar was ‘gang-raped’ by online strangers in a popular game, Horizon Worlds.

A group of adult men virtually gang-raped the avatar or digital character of the victim in an online ‘room’ of Horizon World. The victim experienced the virtual sexual assault while wearing a VR headset. So she did not suffer any physical harm. However, she suffered immense psychological trauma because of the immersive VR experience.

Horizon Worlds is a free VR game owned by Meta, where users create avatars and control them with their VR headsets and associated equipment.

This revelation follows reports of other sexual assaults in the metaverse. Demands are on for laws to address the evolving risks associated with artificial intelligence and VR.