BRADFORD MAN CLIFFORD DAVIES SENTENCED FOR SELLING INDECENT FILM OF TEENAGER
In December 1998, Clifford Davies, a 57-year-old resident of Bradford, was sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted of allowing the filming and subsequent sale of indecent photographs involving a teenage girl.The case drew significant media attention, with a Sunday newspaper branding Davies as the country's most heinous offender following the revelations of his activities during the summer of 1997.
According to court proceedings at Bradford Crown Court, the incident unfolded when an undercover reporter met Davies outside a hotel in Bradford.
During this clandestine encounter, Davies was paid £50 in exchange for a roll of film.
Prosecutor Roger Thomas detailed that during the secretly recorded meeting, Davies made sexually explicit comments about the girl and discussed potential sexual acts she might perform, revealing a disturbing level of predatory behavior.
When the film was developed, it depicted a 15-year-old girl performing a striptease, which prompted the newspaper to alert the police.
The authorities launched an investigation into the matter.
Davies, who resides on Stirton Street in Bradford, pleaded guilty last month to charges of permitting the taking of indecent photographs.
Judge John Cockroft, presiding over the case, remarked that Davies had placed the vulnerable girl in a degrading and compromising situation for financial gain.
During the police inquiry, the girl—whose identity remains protected by law—testified that she was under the influence of alcohol and drugs supplied by Davies at the time the photographs were taken.
She indicated that another girl was likely involved in taking the photos and that both girls received £20 each for their participation.
Davies' defense attorney, Rodney Jameson, argued that his client's health had significantly deteriorated due to a thyroid condition and urged the judge to consider a minimal custodial sentence.
However, Judge Cockroft was unequivocal in his judgment, stating, “It is obvious that to an extent you were provoked and encouraged by the undercover reporter.
You well knew the person you were dealing with was not interested in some aesthetic purpose or offering any kind of modeling career.
You were providing this material for that person’s sexual gratification and that did not cause you to draw back from what you did.” As part of his sentence, Davies was ordered to register as a sex offender with the police for a period of ten years following his release from custody, underscoring the severity of his misconduct and the lasting impact of his actions.
