Alexander Davies 18

Description

A teenager has been locked up under a nine-year extended sentence after preying on children over the internet to gather vile images and share them with other paedophiles. Self-professed "online predator" Alexander Davies, 18, admitted to police he found images of child abuse "therapeutic" and dubbed himself a "father figure" to a 12-year-old victim, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Police learned of the Pontcanna teen's sick obsession when they received information indicating he was behind an anonymous Discord account that had uploaded three indecent images of a child. Officers attended his home on May 7 last year and seized devices which contained hundreds of images of child abuse. Davies told police he was "addicted" to pornography and found it "therapeutic" to watch child abuse. He added that he got excitement from "breaking the rules".

Davies had been communicating online with a 12-year-old girl whom he groomed into sending sexual images of herself. He was released on bail under the condition he stopped contacting her. But three months later police examined the girl's phone and discovered Davies had continued the contact using a different username. He had also been cyber-grooming another 12-year-old girl.

Davies was arrested again and in his police interview described himself as an "online predator". He accepted he had chatted with paedophiles about drugging and raping children, which he described as a "fantasy". As Judge Paul Hopkins KC detailed the crimes, Davies closed his eyes in the dock, shook his head and muttered inaudibly, at times putting his head in his hands.

The judge noted Davies had vowed to one of the girls he would leave her "bleeding" after intercourse. He had ordered her to send him a video of her spanking herself with a hairbrush — footage which he later submitted to gain access to a chat site for paedophiles — and manipulated the girl into sending images of her penetrating herself with "foreign objects", the court heard.

Davies acknowledged he had been "brutal and domineering" but claimed it was "what she wanted". Judge Hopkins said: "She was, of course, 12 years of age. You were an adult. You described yourself as a father figure to her."

The teenager sent both girls images of himself performing solo sex acts. He initiated conversations with them about rape and ordered them to send him images of themselves which he then swapped with other predators in exchange for horrifying material. His devices contained 478 indecent images of children in Category A — the most serious — 247 in Category B and 757 in Category C as well as 58 classed as 'prohibited' or 'extreme', which included images of a dog being sexually abused.

In a victim impact statement, one of the 12-year-old girls said Davies had "pretended to be someone else" and had made her feel like she was in a relationship with him. She now struggles to trust anyone and feels angry at herself and "very confused".

Davies, of Kings Road in Pontcanna, pleaded guilty to 16 offences including engaging in sexual communication with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, distributing and possessing indecent images, and causing a child to watch an image of sexual activity. He had one previous conviction, from 2022, for three offences involving indecent images. Judge Hopkins said: "In that case the court imposed upon you an absolute discharge, which appears very lenient. No doubt this can be attributed to the age you were at the time of the court appearance."

The judge noted that Davies' latest crimes had seen him use "a degree of planning" by adopting a new username after his release on bail. Judge Hopkins took into account that Davies had been 17 when the offending began. "In many ways you were young for your age," he added. "The references from family members and friends say there is another side to you. You are a bright young man and have been using your time on remand constructively."

But the judge described Davies as posing a "high risk of harm" to children. He imposed an extended sentence of nine years including a custodial period of six years. "You will serve two thirds of the custodial period in prison, if safe to be released, and you will then be subject to the extended licence period." As security guards led Davies to the cells he looked back at a visibly distressed middle-aged woman and man sitting in the public gallery. The tearful woman blew a kiss to Davies as he was taken down. The judge also imposed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order on Davies.