DAVID SMITH, LEWISHAM SEX OFFENDER, FOUND DEAD BEFORE TRIAL IN SOUTHWARK
| Red Rose Database
Lewisham Child Sexual Abuser
In a shocking development, David Smith, a notorious sex offender from Lewisham, south-east London, was discovered dead at his residence just days before he was scheduled to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court. Smith, aged 67, had a long and disturbing criminal history, with his first conviction dating back to 1966. Over the years, he accumulated a total of 22 convictions for sexual offences committed against young boys, marking him as one of the most prolific offenders in the region.
His impending trial was set to address allegations of abuse against a 12-year-old boy in 1984. The charges included two counts of indecent assault, two counts of indecency, and one count of a serious sexual offence. These accusations were part of the ongoing police investigation known as Operation Yewtree, which was established in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal to investigate historical cases of sexual abuse linked to the entertainment industry.
Authorities had issued a warrant for Smith’s arrest on the Monday prior to his death after he failed to appear in court. The police located him at his Lewisham home around 14:20 GMT, where he was found unresponsive. Despite efforts to revive him, Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of his death remains unknown at this time, with a post-mortem examination scheduled to determine the exact circumstances.
Smith’s criminal activities included disturbing allegations of abuse at a swimming pool, where he reportedly met his young victim before inviting him back to his flat for further abuse. During the same period, Smith allegedly took the boy on a visit to the BBC studios at White City in west London, where the victim claims he was indecently assaulted during the journey. The victim’s partner contacted police after witnessing his reaction to the ITV documentary 'Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile,' which aired on October 3, 2012, and brought renewed attention to historical abuse cases.
Attempts to locate Smith had previously been made in 2002, but police were unable to find him, even though he was incarcerated at the time. His barrister expressed concern on the day of his death when Smith failed to appear in court, prompting police to conduct a search of his residence. The trial, which was scheduled to commence on Tuesday, was thus rendered unnecessary.
Operation Yewtree, under which Smith was investigated, is a multi-stranded inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse connected to the entertainment industry. The investigation includes three main components: one focusing solely on Jimmy Savile’s crimes, a second examining allegations involving Savile and others, and a third strand that investigates claims arising from the publicity surrounding Savile, which are unconnected to him directly. Smith’s case fell under this third category, highlighting the broad scope of the investigation into historical abuse allegations.
His impending trial was set to address allegations of abuse against a 12-year-old boy in 1984. The charges included two counts of indecent assault, two counts of indecency, and one count of a serious sexual offence. These accusations were part of the ongoing police investigation known as Operation Yewtree, which was established in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal to investigate historical cases of sexual abuse linked to the entertainment industry.
Authorities had issued a warrant for Smith’s arrest on the Monday prior to his death after he failed to appear in court. The police located him at his Lewisham home around 14:20 GMT, where he was found unresponsive. Despite efforts to revive him, Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of his death remains unknown at this time, with a post-mortem examination scheduled to determine the exact circumstances.
Smith’s criminal activities included disturbing allegations of abuse at a swimming pool, where he reportedly met his young victim before inviting him back to his flat for further abuse. During the same period, Smith allegedly took the boy on a visit to the BBC studios at White City in west London, where the victim claims he was indecently assaulted during the journey. The victim’s partner contacted police after witnessing his reaction to the ITV documentary 'Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile,' which aired on October 3, 2012, and brought renewed attention to historical abuse cases.
Attempts to locate Smith had previously been made in 2002, but police were unable to find him, even though he was incarcerated at the time. His barrister expressed concern on the day of his death when Smith failed to appear in court, prompting police to conduct a search of his residence. The trial, which was scheduled to commence on Tuesday, was thus rendered unnecessary.
Operation Yewtree, under which Smith was investigated, is a multi-stranded inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse connected to the entertainment industry. The investigation includes three main components: one focusing solely on Jimmy Savile’s crimes, a second examining allegations involving Savile and others, and a third strand that investigates claims arising from the publicity surrounding Savile, which are unconnected to him directly. Smith’s case fell under this third category, highlighting the broad scope of the investigation into historical abuse allegations.