I am writing this post as a warning, with an unhappy heart. I have been researching this information for some time and would not be posting unless I was sure that everything said here is fact. This has not been a favourite pursuit of mine and I truly wish that I did not need to release it as such.
The information contained in this post is regarding the individual using the alias Brooke Bowen. Her internet pseudonyms include brooke_ueda and sweetsammysam at LiveJournal.com (both now deleted) and jackraiden00 at Twitter.com. She also has a profile on Facebook, also using sweetsammysam in her URL, which should serve as a clear connection between "Brooke" and that particular username.
It is my belief that Brooke's real name is Ashley Jade Betham, and she is a scam artist and sex criminal. You can read a bit about her file here and here.
I first met Brooke back in 2010, when she was using the sweetsammysam username on Livejournal.com. At the time, there were certain aspects of her personality that seemed strange, but I dismissed them as we were interacting only online. Additionally, I was so enthusiastic to find a fellow Australian fan that I thought it best not to look too closely. Still, she said and did things that an average person would not. She had an awful temper. As her journal has been deleted, much of this evidence is gone, but you can see some remnants of it here.
I also caught her in many lies. When I first met her in person, it was rather awkward for me as she spent the majority of the time pointing out people she believed to be "noticing" her, including a cafe owner, a local musician, a small boy, a police officer, and the occupant of a passing expensive car, whom she claimed to be a celebrity. (I saw nothing as the windows were dark black in colour/rolled up.) She also boasted about celebrating her 18th birthday at a particular famous pub. However, she had given me her age as 21 in 2010, and the pub in question had closed in 2005. This was my first indication that something was very wrong.
Brooke seemed to have many issues with boundaries. I had just ended a bad relationship, and she constantly offered to "set me up" with the man of my choice, bragging that no man could refuse her. Indeed, she did seem to believe that this was true, as she would pursue any man (or boy) she found attractive, even when they were quite obviously uncomfortable. On multiple occasions, I would need to physically stand between her and one of her victims (there is no better term) as she would touch their hair, face, body, etc, pursuing them across the room and often outside, until forcibly stopped. When I asked her why she did these things, she replied that "they love it and are playing hard to get" or "he was trying to get me alone until you interrupted." Eventually, I stopped going out with her as I could no longer watch her do this.
My first realization that "Brooke" was really Ashley came when she told me that she was making a great deal of money running a "cam scam" online. From what I understood, she would send nude photos (whether of herself or others, I don't know) to men on Facebook, and would collect payment in advance for a private webcam show. She would then have the man's Facebook account disabled for "unwanted explicit communication" and would pocket the money. Whether or not this was true, I don't know, but on one occasion she did show me the Facebook account she was using and it did appear to be a real account with some interest from men. The name on the Facebook account was something like "Samantha Sparkles" but I noticed that the name in the URL was /ajbetham.
The last piece of the puzzle was filled in when I went with Brooke to a mutual friend's birthday party. On the way to the party, we stopped at a supermarket, and Brooke was approached by an older woman who called her "Ashley." Brooke seemed very troubled by this woman and told her that she was mistaken. We left the supermarket without buying what we had gone in for, and Brooke claimed it was because she noted the time and was afraid we would be late to the party. I believed it was because the woman had truly recognized Brooke, and Brooke did not want me to discover any more information about her. When I got home, I searched for Ashley Betham, remembering the URL from Facebook, and I was shocked when I saw the results.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The birthday at the pub, the strange behavior, the fact that Brooke had appeared out of virtually nowhere in 2010 and rarely talked about her home life or about what she had been doing previously, and most importantly, the lack of conscience. I contacted the police with the information that I had and from that day, severed all contact with Brooke/Ashley. I do not know what the outcome was.
Recently, though, another Australian KAT-TUN fan asked me if I knew Brooke. I was shocked to learn that she was still in fandom, still online, still continuing to lie to so many people. I told my new friend everything I knew about Brooke and she suggested that I do what I ought to have done years ago, and write this post. With so much evidence now deleted or destroyed, it's difficult for me to convince anyone that I'm telling the truth, but at least I can say that I tried.
Update #1: After I posted this entry, Brooke locked her previously public Twitter.
Update #2: I received additional information that Brooke has a second Twitter, ILoveKenty at Twitter.com. I also received these screen captures of Brooke displaying the kind of behavior I discussed earlier.
And finally, this one, which is the most concerning.
Update #4: It seems Brooke has reopened her Twitter and is attempting to stop people from finding this post. It also seems that she believes my motivation to be "jealousy." To be clear, my time in Johnny's Fandom ended years ago and I did not realize that her most recent male victim was another Johnny's idol, as he is much younger than the idols we were interested in at the time. I do not speak Japanese and would appreciate any help with notifying Johnny's about the danger she poses. You can reach me through Private Message at Livejournal.com if you would like to help.
Update #5: Thank you so much, to the person who translated so quickly, and to the person who sent me the photos from their Facebook crawl. Johnny's has received both the message and the photos so that she can be identified easily.
Update #6: I have been notified by a Sexy Zone fan that the post-show events at which Brooke assaulted the Sexy Zone member have been cancelled for both members of Sexy Zone who are appearing in the current production of "Johnny's World," until further notice. I received a number of messages asking how to contact Johnny's with this information and I can only assume that everyone who inquired really was concerned enough to do it. Thank you.
