DAVID COOPER AND KERRY HOBSON BRUTALIZE TEENAGE GIRL AT BRIDLINGTON CARAVAN SITE

In March 2009, a disturbing case of severe abuse and exploitation emerged from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, involving a teenage girl who was subjected to prolonged physical and sexual abuse by a couple at a caravan site. The offenders, David Cooper, a 36-year-old scrap dealer, and Kerry Hobson, aged 28, orchestrated a campaign of cruelty that lasted over four months, during which the girl was held captive and systematically abused.

Cooper and Hobson lured the 15-year-old girl to a travellers' campsite in Bridlington under false pretenses, claiming they would care for her as her mother was allegedly unable to do so. The girl, who was a bright student, initially believed their story, but her trust was shattered as her ordeal began. Cooper, who had a prior conviction for animal cruelty and two charges of child cruelty in 2003, befriended her mother in March 2007, offering to take care of her daughter. The girl was then moved into a nearby house with the couple, but without her mother’s knowledge, they relocated to the Woldgate Caravan Site.

According to the Crown barrister Bernard Gateshill, the abuse started at the initial residence and continued at the caravan site. Cooper even began claiming child allowance for the girl, further entrenching his manipulative control. The girl recounted to police that she was assaulted almost daily from the age of 15 and after her 16th birthday. The abuse was both physical and sexual, with Cooper having unlawful sex with her every day at one point, and Hobson arranging for her to receive contraceptive injections to prevent pregnancy.

The court heard harrowing details of her treatment: she was made to ask permission to go to the toilet, was forced to wear specific clothing, and was tethered outside the caravan with a motorcycle chain when she refused to obey. One witness described her as appearing to be a slave. Police investigations uncovered a dictaphone and a letter indicating that she was tied up for sex sessions, while Hobson engaged in sexual activities with another man. The girl’s suffering was compounded by physical violence; Hobson struck her in the face, and Cooper punched her around the body.

Her plight was only discovered when police executed a search warrant for drugs at the caravan. During the raid, officers found approximately £3,000 worth of cannabis in Cooper’s caravan. The police also recovered evidence of the girl’s abuse, which led to the couple’s arrest and subsequent court proceedings. Both appeared in Hull Crown Court, where they wept as they received their sentences: Cooper was sentenced to nine years in prison, while Hobson received three and a half years.

Cooper, who had a history of criminal behavior, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including eight counts of sexual activity with a child under sixteen and one of child cruelty. He was also handed a ten-year Sexual Offenders’ Prevention Order. Hobson admitted to child cruelty but contested the full extent of her involvement. Her barrister, Paul Genney, explained that she had herself been abused as a girl and was brought up in care, which contributed to her subservient role in the abuse. Both defendants also admitted possessing cannabis.

Judge Michael Mettyear described Cooper as a significant threat to women and emphasized the gravity of his actions. He stated, “She turned to you for help and what she proceeded to get was misery and abuse. She may never get over it. You treated her like your own personal sex toy.” The judge condemned Cooper’s behavior, noting that he used three aliases and had committed multiple sexual offenses involving a minor.

The victim, now living in fear, remains terrified that Cooper will seek her out. Her mother expressed outrage at the sentences, criticizing their brevity and comparing Cooper to the infamous Austrian criminal Josef Fritzl. She described him as “every parent’s worst nightmare” and warned that he could be free in just four and a half years, raising concerns about her daughter’s safety and the ongoing threat posed by the convicted offender.