DAVID GRAY'S HORRIFIC CRIMES IN NEATH, MELIN, AND WAKEFIELD REVEALED

In August 2008, a man named David Gray was sentenced to a lengthy prison term of 14 years for a series of heinous sexual offenses involving young girls. Gray, a karate instructor from Neath, had carried out a disturbing campaign of abuse that spanned several years and multiple locations, leaving his victims with lifelong scars.

Gray’s criminal activities came to light after a police investigation that uncovered the extent of his predatory behavior. The court heard that Gray had initially abused two young girls in Wakefield, Yorkshire, during the 1990s, where he operated a karate club. One of these girls was subjected to abuse from the age of 11 until she was 14, a period marked by systematic exploitation. The other girl was involved in a sexual relationship with Gray from when she was 13 until she turned 18, during which she also bore his child.

Following his time in Yorkshire, Gray relocated to South Wales, where he secured employment as a learning support assistant at a school in Port Talbot. It was during this period that he targeted a third victim, whom he chose from the school playground, according to the court. The judge noted that Gray’s abuse was not limited to Yorkshire but continued in Wales, where he engaged in further sexual misconduct with a girl aged 13 in 2001 and 2002.

Judge Michael Burr described Gray’s actions as a calculated and prolonged campaign of grooming and abuse. He emphasized that Gray had set out to manipulate and exploit these young girls for his own sexual gratification over a period of nearly a decade. The judge stated, “There is no doubt that for the best part of 10 years you set out to groom for sexual purposes and then abused three young girls from the very early age of 11 in the case of one of them and 12 or 13 for the other two. And this abuse continued throughout their formative years, when they should have been free from any hint or possibility of this kind of behaviour.”

Gray’s crimes involved not only sexual intercourse but also a range of perversions designed to satisfy his lust, with the abuse occurring almost daily over the years. The court heard that Gray’s offending was systematic and relentless, with the victims suffering deeply from his actions.

At the time of his arrest in February 2008, Gray was 42 years old and was operating his own private karate club called the Ben-Kai-Do Club in Melin, Neath. He was detained on remand and was known at the time by the alias David Cole. The police investigation was initiated after a woman came forward, revealing she had been in a relationship with Gray in Yorkshire from the age of 13 and had a child with him. She described their relationship as initially consensual but later recognized that Gray had taken advantage of her youth.

Another woman, also from Yorkshire, recounted being subjected to three years of systematic sexual abuse starting from when she was just 11 years old. She expressed her anger and relief that police had approached her, as she no longer feared her account would be dismissed. Further interviews with other women revealed additional disturbing details, including a relationship Gray had while working at Sandfields Comprehensive School in Port Talbot, where he was employed as a learning support assistant from September 2001. One woman reported that they engaged in sexual activity multiple times a day, sometimes up to seven or eight times, highlighting the extent of Gray’s predatory behavior.

Gray, of Morgan’s Road, Neath, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape, 22 counts of indecent assault, and four charges of serious sexual assault. His actions have left a lasting impact on his victims, and his lengthy imprisonment reflects the severity of his crimes and the court’s recognition of the profound harm caused.