DAVID BLAXHALL'S SHAMEFUL CRIME IN BRIERFIELD AND EAST LANCASHIRE SCHOOL

In July 2008, a disturbing incident involving David Blaxhall, a radio DJ from Brierfield, came to light, revealing a grave breach of trust and a series of criminal acts committed during his visit to a school in Blackburn, East Lancashire.

Blaxhall, aged 49 at the time, was involved in a scandal that shocked the local community and drew the attention of law enforcement authorities. The case centered around his inappropriate and illegal filming of a 14-year-old schoolgirl during a radio broadcasting workshop he was conducting at the Blackburn school. The incident unfolded when pupils, suspicious of Blaxhall’s behavior, decided to secretly record him with their mobile phones. They observed him using a camcorder to film up the girl’s skirt from beneath a desk, an act that was both invasive and deeply troubling.

According to reports, the girl became suspicious after noticing Blaxhall’s unusual actions. She confided in a friend, and the students collectively decided to gather evidence before taking any action. The following day, their suspicions were confirmed when they saw Blaxhall using a camcorder, prompting one of the pupils to record his behavior with her mobile device. The students then reported their findings to a teacher, leading to the involvement of police authorities.

Law enforcement officers responded swiftly, seizing a tape from the front seat of Blaxhall’s car, which contained 41 minutes of footage captured on a camcorder. Several still images had been extracted from the footage, revealing the disturbing nature of his actions. Further investigations led to the seizure of Blaxhall’s personal computers, where authorities discovered a collection of indecent images of children unrelated to the school incident.

Blaxhall, who previously worked as a presenter for Darwen-based The Bee and Nelson-based 2BR radio stations, faced multiple charges. In May of that year, he pleaded guilty to four counts of taking indecent photographs and three counts of making indecent images. The court proceedings revealed that his misconduct was not limited to the incident at the Blackburn school but extended to other inappropriate material stored on his devices.

During sentencing at Preston Crown Court, Judge Anthony Russell QC expressed his strong disapproval of Blaxhall’s actions, describing them as a “disgraceful abuse of trust” that caused significant distress to the victim and her family. The judge emphasized the gravity of the offense, noting that Blaxhall’s behavior was driven by depraved sexual fantasies. Despite the severity of the crimes, Blaxhall was spared immediate imprisonment and was instead sentenced to a three-year supervised community order. Judge Russell explained that, under current guidelines, a suspended jail sentence could not be combined with a community order, but he believed supervision was the most appropriate route for rehabilitation.

Blaxhall’s address was listed as Longridge Heath, Brierfield, and the court acknowledged that he had taken steps toward seeking help for his issues. The court also imposed additional restrictions, including a five-year registration on the sex offenders’ register and a ten-year sexual offences prevention order, which prohibits him from associating, communicating, or working with individuals under the age of 16.

The victim’s mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, expressed her relief and frustration, stating, “This has taken a long time and our lives had been put on hold until today.”

Detective Constable Sue Smith from Blackburn CID commented on the case, highlighting the breach of trust involved. She stated, “Blaxhall was a respected man who held a position of trust within a school environment. He breached this trust not only towards the pupils but also towards parents and teachers, behaving in a lewd and indecent manner to fulfill his depraved sexual fantasies.”