TODAY THE IRISH Times has released the details of its in-depth online sex survey, revealing some eye opening details about Irish people in the sack (or wherever).From webcams to sex toys to using our gobs, we can be a randy bunch when we want to be.Threats “Once the child has sent images, the offenders begin blackmailing them either for more indecent images or, in few cases, for cash,” the centre said in a statement.“And unless the child agrees, the offender threatens to share the child’s pictures with family and friends.” In some cases, the children are also forced to perform other acts live on a webcam, including writing degrading statements on their body and cutting themselves, it said.“The stories we hear are truly tragic and you cannot help but be touched by the emotional rollercoaster these youngsters must be going through,” said Andy Baker, deputy chief executive of the centre.English language A significant proportion – 184 – of the victims were from Britain, which CEOP operations manager Stephanie Mc Court blamed in part on the popularity of the English language.

CHILDREN AS YOUNG as eight are being blackmailed into performing sex acts live on webcams, causing some of them to self-harm or even attempt suicide, a British watchdog warned today.Here are some saucy facts from the Irish Times and beyond…Experienced computer forensics investigator Andrew Harbison advised anybody who feels under threat to contact the gardai so they can piece together a pattern and target the criminal gangs.His advice comes following the tragic story of a mother who claims her husband took his own life after he was blackmailed using a compromising online video.The woman - who has asked not to be named to protect her children - called on gardaí to track down the scammers who she claims extorted €1,000 from her husband before his suicide. "It is all the questions, they just can't understand how he was there one day and he wasn't there the next.The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) said it had conducted 12 investigations over the last two years which involved this worrying trend – and suggested British children are particularly at risk.Paedophiles pretending to be children target their victims on open chat sites, before moving them into private areas where they persuade the child to send sexual images of themselves.