LEONARD DAVEY, EXETER RESEARCHER, SENTENCED FOR HISTORICAL CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN EXETER

In October 2017, Leonard Davey, now residing in the Countess Wear area of Exeter, was convicted and sentenced for historical child sex offences. The case garnered attention after one victim recognized him on a bus in 2012, leading to his arrest.

In a four-day trial held at Exeter Crown Court, 64-year-old Davey was found guilty of six indecent assaults against one girl and three against another, all committed during the 1960s and 1970s. The offences spanned over 13 years for one victim, starting from the time she was eight and continuing until she was 21.

The court heard that one of the victims, who had been assaulted as a young girl, identified Davey while they were both traveling on a bus. She explained she was prompted to report her abuse after witnessing him looking at a naked five-year-old girl as the bus passed her house.

Davey denied deliberately touching one victim but admitted engaging in sexual contact with the other when he was approximately 10 or 11 years old, in what he described as playing 'doctor and nurse' games.

Judge Francis Gilbert, presiding over the case, told Davey: "The jury, in my opinion rightly, found the victims to be compelling and truthful witnesses even though they were looking back many years. It is unfortunate you continue to maintain one or both are lying." As part of his sentence, Davey was placed on the sex offenders register for life and issued a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, restricting any unsupervised contact with minors under 16.

After the court proceedings, the victim who recognized Davey on the bus expressed her reasons for coming forward. She stated, "It was a very, very hard thing to do because I had put the abuse behind me and it was difficult to relive it. It meant I carried it with me all the time whereas I had been able to bury it for a while. What he did has had a long-lasting effect on my life."

At the time of the offences, Davey was employed as a research assistant at the Centre for Rural Policy at Exeter University, specializing in providing statistical data for Defra and the European Commission. He was also known for playing darts at a high level, first in leagues around Topsham and Exeter, then representing Devon in competitions.

The case highlights the importance of perseverance in seeking justice, even decades after the crimes occurred, and sheds light on the lasting impact of such abuse on victims.