UK man sentenced for abusing boy in Cambodia
21 May 2013 10:04 AM
After pleading guilty to sexual offences committed against a boy in Cambodia in 2006, a UK man has yesterday been sentenced to serve 21 months in prison.
David Andrew Graham, aged 47, admitted offences of sexual activity with a child (contrary to Section 9 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) at the Old Bailey following an investigation which involved the Cambodian non-government organisation Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), the Cambodian National Police (CNP) and the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre.
This case is only the second time a successful prosecution has been achieved using extra territorial legislation (Section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003). This legislation allows UK nationals to be tried and prosecuted in the UK for sexual offences they have committed overseas
The first was Barry McCloud, dealt with by Hertfordshire Constabulary, who was sentenced to life with a minimum of seven years in 2010, after he pled guilty to a series of disturbing child abuse offences involving a young girl who lived with her family in Goa. The victim was aged between nine and ten when she was raped and sexually abused.
Graham, who was arrested in the UK in 2006 by CEOP officers and charged with offences including sexual activity with a child, will now also be placed on the Sex Offenders Register and subject to notification orders upon his release from prison.
Andy Baker, Deputy Chief Executive of CEOP said:
For six years, David Graham thought he had got away with the abuse he inflicted on his young Cambodian victim. Today, he has been held accountable for his actions and I would like to thank APLE and the Cambodian National Police for their continued support. Without the close working relationships CEOP have internationally, with NGO’s and other law enforcement agencies, successes like this wouldn’t be possible.
“Child sexual offenders who travel outside of the UK to abuse and exploit children continue to be a key threat area for the CEOP Centre. By raising awareness of the risks these individuals pose in countries where they are known to frequent, we are ensuring that children are better safeguarded and agencies charged with protecting them are better equipped to deal with the crimes committed using their own legislation. However, where this is not possible, CEOP will continue to ensure that using all available methods, including extra-territorial legislation, individuals face the consequences of their crimes committed overseas”.
Seila Samleang, Country Director of APLE for Cambodia continues:
We started this investigation in early 2006 when we found the suspect in contact with young boys. We alerted the Cambodian National Police (CNP) who came to the crime scene but he had already left and was on his way to the airport to leave the country. The case was filed with the CNP, to be re-activated if and when the suspect returned to Cambodia.
“The CNP, APLE and CEOP worked closely together to make sure Mr Graham was tracked down and brought to justice and this case sends a very strong message that paedophiles or travelling sexual offenders from the UK that if you abuse a child in Cambodia, you will face justice and go to jail”.