The inquiry into the pivotal case has sparked discussions about whether law enforcement should be addressing virtual crimes, especially as police and prosecutors grapple with a significant backlog of real rape cases.

While immersed in a virtual reality game, the teen allegedly experienced sexual assault by a group of men, as reported. Despite the absence of physical injuries, investigating officers assert that she endured emotional and psychological trauma equivalent to that of a real-world rape victim.

Police are investigating what is believed to be the first virtual sexual offense. A senior officer familiar with the case informed the news outlet that the child underwent psychological trauma comparable to that of a physical rape victim, emphasizing the lasting emotional and psychological impact.

The officer added that law enforcement faces several challenges since current legislation is not configured to address this issue. However, it remains unclear which game the teenage girl was playing at the time of the alleged offense.

The inquiry into the landmark case has raised questions about whether police should actively pursue virtual offenses, considering their ongoing struggle with a substantial backlog of real rape cases. However, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly has defended the virtual reality rape probe, stating that the child experienced “sexual trauma.”

“I know it is easy to dismiss this as being not real, but the whole point of these virtual environments is they are incredibly immersive,” Mr Cleverly told news outlet LBC.

“It’s also worth realising that somebody who is willing to put a child through a trauma like that digitally may well be someone that could go on to do terrible things in the physical realm.”

Meta’s Response: What Steps Has Meta Taken?

Numerous incidents of virtual sex crimes have been reported within Horizon Worlds, a free VR game operated by Meta, Facebook’s parent company.

The kind of behaviour described has no place on our platform, which is why for all users we have an automatic protection called personal boundary, which keeps people you don’t know a few feet away from you,” a spokesperson for Meta said.