A 16-year-old girl complained that her avatar in a virtual game was raped by a group of men, and says she suffered moral injuries “similar to those suffered by victims in real life”.

“There was an emotional and psychological impact on the victim that was more lasting than any physical injuries,” a police officer told the Daily Mail.

Current UK law defines sexual assault as “physical contact with a sexual message without a person’s consent”, so investigating a virtual crime can be challenging.

Some have also questioned whether the police should use their time and limited resources to investigate crimes in the metaverse, although British Home Secretary James Cleverley has defended the cause.

“We are talking about a child who has survived sexual trauma. And this will have a significant psychological effect. We have to be very careful about neglecting it.”

He also added that the desire to rape a child’s avatar in a virtual environment may well appear in real life.

Ian Critchley, head of child protection and abuse investigations at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, echoed Cleverley’s words, adding that the meta-universe was creating a “gateway” for predators that required evolving laws and investigative methods for police.

Since the launch of Horizon Worlds, Meta’s free-to-play VR game, there have been several reports of virtual sex crimes, but no real prosecutions so far.

The first trial in the metaverse took place – at a virtual hearing, avatars of the judge, the transport union and the police resolved a real dispute for 2 hours.