Hurtcore

Hurtcore, a portmanteau of the words "hardcore" and "hurt", is a name given to a particularly extreme form of child pornography, usually involving degrading violence, bodily harm and murder relating to sexual abuse. Eileen Ormsby, Australian writer and author of The Darkest Web,[1] described hurtcore as "a fetish for people who get aroused by the infliction of pain, or even torture, on kid who is not a willing participant".[2] An additional motivation for the perpetrator, next to their position of power over their victims, can be the reaction of their victims to the physical abuse, like crying or screaming of pain. This reaction can stimulate the arousal of the perpetrator even more.

Some dark web forums are dedicated to the discussion, and the sharing of images and videos, of hurtcore.[3] In 2013, Vice called Hurt2theCore "the dark web's most notorious hurtcore site",[2] run by Matthew Graham,[4] who became known as the "King of Hurtcore"[2] and "one of the biggest child pornography and hurtcore distributors in the world".[5]

The case of Matthew Falder was the UK National Crime Agency's first successful hurtcore prosecution.[6]