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Prosecutors are ‘not afraid’ to use new offences under the Online Safety Act to ensure child abusers face ‘the full force of the law’, Senior Crown Prosecutor Stacey Gosling has told the Daily Mail’s Trial+ podcast, following the landmark jailing of a ‘sadistic’ paedophile.
Karl Davies, 42, from the Wirral, was jailed for 20 years in October after pleading guilty to 17 offences relating to a schoolgirl aged between 13 and 14.
One of the charges brought against the ‘depraved’ father-of-two was encouraging or assisting serious self-harm online, a new offence created under the Online Safety Act.
Ms Gosling said the legislation meant Davies could be prosecuted for the full extent of his crimes, including instructing the girl to self-harm in online messages and later giving her a razor blade.
Davies had posed as six different teenage boys on Snapchat, creating a sinister ‘network’ of fake accounts that manipulated her into sending explicit images and videos.
Karl Davies, 42, from the Wirral, was jailed for 20 years in October after pleading guilty to 17 offences relating to a schoolgirl aged between 13 and 14
After months of online grooming, Davies drove more than 50 miles from his home to pick the girl up from school. He sexually assaulted her in his car at a secluded location on four separate occasions.
Speaking to podcast host Liz Hull, Gosling said: ‘I am sad to say that we live in a world now where these sexual predators are able to access various platforms online in order to commit and facilitate these offences.
‘I think the offences under the new Online Safety Act can assist both the police and CPS to tackle those abuses.
‘This particular case was the first [where the new offences] related to a child victim.
‘The Act is a welcome addition. We can now cover the full extent of the offending in the charges that we’re able to authorise and bring justice to victims that were left at the hands of these perpetrators.’
Ms Gosling shared her hope that the landmark case would deter other online predators and encourage more victims of abuse to come forward.
She added: ‘The CPS won’t hesitate to prosecute offenders for these monstrous crimes.
‘We are not afraid to use these new offences to ensure that they face the full force of the law.
‘I am hopeful this conviction will raise awareness of those new offences and potentially act as a deterrent to other offenders, as well as encouraging other victims of these horrific acts to come forward and seek justice.’
She commended the victim’s bravery in assisting police throughout the investigation into Davies.
The girl provided crucial evidence, including a detailed video interview that helped officers trace Davies’ vehicle and identify him as the perpetrator behind all six fake accounts.
‘The young girl felt able to share with police exactly what had happened to her’, Gosling remarked.
‘Her courage and bravery, being able to help with the investigation – was key for Greater Manchester police.’
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