DEVON POLICE OFFICER DETECTIVE CON DARRAN WHITE BRINGS JUSTICE FROM TIVERTON TO PHILIPPINES IN CHILD ABUSE CASE

In October 2018, a harrowing case of child sexual abuse spanning across continents culminated in the arrest and conviction of a man from Tiverton, Devon, who orchestrated and participated in heinous acts involving young children in the Philippines. The investigation, led by Detective Constable Darren White of Devon and Cornwall Police, uncovered a disturbing pattern of exploitation facilitated by the suspect, Alain Charlwood-Collings, who was 39 years old at the time.

Detective White dedicated over a hundred hours to meticulously analyzing digital evidence, including extensive Skype footage and communications, to build a comprehensive case against Collings. The investigation, known as Operation Aero, revealed that Collings had paid women in Manila to carry out sexual assaults on children as young as two years old. These women, acting at his behest, inflicted unimaginable abuse, which Collings recorded at his residence in Tiverton. The suspect transferred more than £33,000 to his Philippine contacts to fund these criminal acts.

Authorities monitored online activity and traced IP addresses, which led to the discovery of over 100 hours of recorded abuse contained within 107 separate files. Among the thousands of images recovered, some depicted Collings himself abusing children. To ensure the safety and rescue of all victims, Detective White painstakingly analyzed the footage, which included 102 hours of live abuse recordings, and sifted through half a million lines of Skype chat logs. The task was daunting, especially given the disturbing nature of the content, but it was essential for establishing the full extent of the crimes.

One of the most challenging aspects of the investigation was retrieving and scrutinizing the footage, which required minute-by-minute analysis. Despite the emotional toll, Detective White managed to extract screen captures of 46 children from the Philippines who had been victimized, along with images of the two female co-offenders involved in the abuse. To strengthen the case, he enlisted the expertise of an anatomy specialist from the University of Dundee, who helped match the images of adult hands in the abuse footage to the suspect and his former partner in the Philippines.

Through this detailed forensic work, Detective White was able to connect the victims’ identities to the footage and identify the perpetrators. Although Collings initially refused to cooperate, he eventually pleaded guilty in court. At Exeter Crown Court, the judge described his actions as “abhorrent” and among “the worst I have ever come across,” resulting in Collings receiving an 18-year prison sentence on May 12, 2017.

Following the conviction, Detective White collaborated with the National Crime Agency and the Home Office to transfer evidence and investigative findings to authorities in the Philippines. This international cooperation led to a court appearance in the Philippines in February 2018, where White provided crucial evidence. His efforts contributed to the arrest of three suspected traffickers by the National Bureau of Investigations Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD), which resulted in the rescue of thirteen victims, including nine children aged between four and 17, and four adults aged 19 to 24. The victims were placed into protective custody by local authorities.

During the operation, two search warrants were executed in separate villages, leading to the arrest of two Philippine women involved in the abuse. Detective White emphasized the importance of victim identification, stating that multiple victims were positively identified and rescued on the day of the operation. His work was instrumental in removing these children from a coercive and abusive environment, highlighting the dual focus of law enforcement: bringing offenders to justice and safeguarding victims.

In recognition of his relentless dedication and success in tackling this complex case, Detective Constable Darren White was awarded the “Smarter Detective of the Year” accolade at the Police Federation’s National Detectives’ Forum. Now a sergeant on the Isles of Scilly, White expressed humility upon receiving the award, remarking, “I’m surprised and very humbled at the recognition really. For what started out two years ago as an average job, who would have known it would’ve taken me to the other side of the world rescuing children.”

His work exemplifies the critical role of investigative perseverance and international cooperation in combating some of the most disturbing crimes, ensuring justice for victims and holding perpetrators accountable across borders.