CHRISTOPHER Nicolaou was playing a video game when a strange pop-up appeared on the screen.
Intrigued, the 15-year-old schoolboy clicked on it. From that moment on, he was lost – evil predators tormented and goaded him until seven weeks later, he was found dead, his phone in his hand and his earpiece still in.
George and Areti Nicolaou at their home with a photo of their son ChristopherCredit: PHIL HARRIS
Christopher, 15, died in March 2022 after being targeted by predators onlineCredit: PHIL HARRIS
George and his heartbroken mum, AretiCredit: PHIL HARRIS
Christopher’s dad, George Nicolaou, was heading for a shower when he passed by his son’s bedroom on the evening of March 1, 2022, “to find the worst nightmare of his life”.
He tells The Sun: “That’s the moment our lives completely changed.
“Our lives became shattered”.
George, 55, let out a blood-curdling scream and called to his wife Areti, 52, who was downstairs. They desperately tried to perform CPR while paramedics raced to their home in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.
But it was too late.
Over the course of around 50 days, Christopher – also called Christoforos – had become rapidly more reclusive and his behaviour increasingly more strange.
He would eat his dinner in two minutes, stay awake all night, complain of headaches, and watch movies despite previously hating them.
Christopher had even tried to deactivate the home’s smoke alarm and had asked his family for their passports.
collected Christopher’s computer and other devices following his death, but a week later brought them back, claiming they couldn’t find anything of note.
However, baffled as to what had happened, George began his own and was able to gain access to his son’s computer.
Christopher was top of his class with an IQ of 140 – and looking ahead to his GCSEsCredit: PHIL HARRIS
The family of three were very closeCredit: PHIL HARRIS
George and Areti have made Christopher’s room into a shrine to himCredit: PHIL HARRIS
George looks at photos of his son Christopher in his bedroomCredit: PHIL HARRIS
Within 10 minutes, he’d found his account on Discord, a private forum platform where predators had targeted the teenager with “horrific messages”.
“From what we understand, the pop-up offered a free game, and that is what led to the contact being made,” George says.
One person had spent days telling him to try ending his life, with their last message asking: “Are you dead?”
‘Which knife should I use to kill myself?’
Delving deeper through conversations, George found Christopher appeared to have been speaking to four individuals, claiming to be aged 12, 13 and 14, as well as a 25-year-old man called Dom.
The three ‘teens’ claimed to be suicidal, and Christopher was trying to talk them out of it.
One even sent him a photo of a bunch of knives and asked, “Which one should I use to kill myself?”
The messages became darker, and the “friends” began setting him challenges, telling him that if he failed, his family would be killed.
My question is why didn’t the police do anything? Why make a note of it but not investigate it?
George Nicolaou, After his son was tormented to death
They’d already forced him to handover passport details, so he believed the threats were real.
Suddenly, his odd behaviour made sense: staying awake all night, watching horror movies, eating meals in under two minutes and deactivating all the security cameras in the house – which George believes he mixed up with smoke alarms.
Others were even more sinister, including cutting himself with blades and filming it.
On the same day Christopher died, George says it appears someone had gained remote access to his son’s computer and deleted everything in his OneDrive.
A collection of photos of Christopher in his bedroomCredit: PHIL HARRIS
Christopher and mum Areti pull a goofy poseCredit: PHIL HARRIS
Christopher as a young child – his parents described him as bright and sociableCredit: PHIL HARRIS
George said this access was noted by police in the coroner’s report, but he can’t understand why no further action was taken.
The dad says: “My question is, why didn’t the police do anything? Why make a note of it but not investigate it?
“They didn’t do their job. They didn’t care enough.”
‘This is murderers trying to kill children out of pure pleasure’
On the night he died, Christopher had submitted his English homework at 8.21 pm.
Over an hour later, just before 9.30pm, he’d come downstairs to ask his dad if he could go play .
“They were the last words I heard from Christopher,” says George. “I said, ‘Of course you can.’ He went upstairs, and that was it.”
That night, he was playing , but also enjoyed , and .
At 10pm, George found Christopher unresponsive.
But George is convinced his son never intended to kill himself.
Christopher didn’t want to end his life, I’ll tell you that for sure. He was murdered. He didn’t end his life.
George Nicolaou, After his son was tormented to death
“They said ‘do this final challenge, and you’ll be saved’, basically,” he explains.
“Christopher didn’t want to end his life, I’ll tell you that for sure. He was murdered. He didn’t end his life.
“Christopher was murdered, the same way other children have been murdered.
“This is not a mental problem; this is murderers trying to kill children out of pure pleasure, and that’s not acceptable.”
Amid his own investigations, George had taken Christopher’s computer to a specialist who found all four “friends” he had been speaking to came from the same IP address.
“You’ve potentially got just one person pretending to be multiple people – that’s really scary,” he says.
George believes the person is a member of an organised gang.
Christopher as a baby with his parentsCredit: PHIL HARRIS
George said the final weeks of Christopher’s life saw him become very reclusiveCredit: PHIL HARRIS
George and Areti are now dedicating their time to help protect other childrenCredit: PHIL HARRIS
“Finding these predators – you’ve got more chance of going to the moon,” he said.
“They’re so sophisticatedly done.”
George says Christopher didn’t suffer from issues before the period when his change in character occurred, and with an IQ of 140, he was at the top of his class and focused on doing well in his .
But he said his maturity levels were clearly no match for the twisted intentions of predators.
He explains: “The messages, the grooming, the building of trust, children’s brains are like sponges, they absorb everything and anything.
“Unfortunately, that’s how they are and are supposed to be.
“Predators use that weakness. What is the motive and purpose of these evil and demonic people? We’ll never know.”
Since Christopher’s death, George and Areti have launched the Christoforos Charity Foundation to raise awareness about the dangers lurking for children online.
Christopher had a bright future ahead of himCredit: PHIL HARRIS
George holds Christopher as a babyCredit: PHIL HARRIS
George and Areti had no idea about the online predators until Christopher’s deathCredit: PHIL HARRIS
They are also campaigning for Christopher’s Law to tighten restrictions around social media and other platforms in which predators operate.
This includes a social media ban for those under 16 – with George saying he was “utterly frustrated” MPs voted down such an amendment to the the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill last week.
“There are 101 different ways that predators can attack children; we need to restrict the ,” says George.
The couple recently travelled to the US, where they met with more than 100 families whose children have died after being targeted by predators online.
“My whole life is surrounded by making sure we can improve the impact on other children’s lives in the most positive way possible,” explains George.
“I’m non-stop – I’ve given up three businesses to focus on the charities…
“When something tragic like this happens, you’re not interested in money, you’re interested in just the building and the safety of other people’s lives.
“It’s just horrific, it’s sad, and it’s been four years, and it feels like yesterday.”
He adds: “It’s heartbreaking, but at the same time, you can’t sit back and do nothing. You have to try to focus and build a better future.
“We’re still in the fight and always will be.”
A Hertfordshire Police spokesperson said: “Hertfordshire Constabulary would like to offer its condolences and sympathy to Christopher’s family.
“We can confirm we investigated the circumstances of his death and a file was prepared for the coroner. Our investigations concluded in 2022.”
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org , 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org , 116 123
To sign the petition for Christopher’s Law click here.
For more on the Christoforos Charity Foundation click here
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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