BRADLEY MCCLOUD, THE LONDON PAEDOPHILE KNOWN AS THE 'STRAWBERRY PAEDOPHILE', SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE

In March 2011, Bradley McCloud, a 57-year-old musician from southeast London, was convicted of numerous child abuse offences after a shocking series of events uncovered his disturbing activities. The incident began when a father, whose six-year-old daughter had gone missing, was alerted after the child was lured away by the offer of strawberries into McCloud’s home. The girl and her friend had been playing outdoors when they wandered out of sight of their guardians.

McCloud had taken photographs of the girls and stored them along with a catalog of child sex abuse images on his computer, which also included photographs of a four-year-old girl, the daughter of a friend. These images depicted children in sexual poses, with some faces digitally superimposed onto naked bodies, and others of very young girls being sexually abused. Additionally, police discovered that McCloud owned sophisticated photographic equipment, a large computer monitor, and a 'primal therapy box'—a padded cell inside his home, which the girls claimed they had been inside.

The girls’ return led a father and a neighbor to investigate and find McCloud’s flat. The girls described him as 'the bad man.' Once they identified his address, they confronted him at his three-bedroom first-floor flat, where he answered the door in boxer shorts and a T-shirt. The men questioned him about why the girls had been there; McCloud claimed they wanted to play his drums. Upon entering, the men noticed a drum kit, keyboard, cameras with long lenses, a tripod, and a scanner.

The men quickly found child pornography on his computer, including images of a girl around their daughter’s age fully clothed with her legs open, and others showing explicit abuse of very young girls. One particularly disturbing photo showed McCloud performing a sex act on himself while studying his collection. The discovery led to a physical altercation, with McCloud being dragged onto a balcony and punched by one of the men's fathers, while a crowd of residents watched.

In the aftermath, police arrived and found the padded 'screaming box' in McCloud’s home, which the girls described as a place where they had been taken multiple times. The girls' testimonies suggested that McCloud had lured them with false pretenses, making them feel safe but exploiting that trust for his own sexual gratification.

During police interviews, McCloud attempted to minimize his actions, claiming the girl in the images was merely taking pictures with her friends, and falsely blamed a woman who was supposedly staying with him. He admitted to possessing indecent images, but initially denied intent to harm.

The court heard that McCloud had lured children into his home, took photographs and videos, and stored these images of abuse for his own gratification. Judge Patricia Lees described the images as evidence of McCloud’s deliberate and repeated exploitation of vulnerable children, emphasizing the high risk he posed to children in the future. She noted that his use of the 'therapy box' was a troubling aspect of his offending.

On sentencing, Judge Lees stated, 'Some of these images were not simply downloaded or cut and pasted together, they were taken of children who were accessible to you. They were stored by you for your own repeated sexual gratification. You were photographing young children having lured them into your home, I have no doubt on false pretenses so they would feel safer. They were not safe from you.' She concluded that McCloud's dangerousness meant only a custodial sentence was appropriate, and he was sentenced to 27 months in prison. He will also be required to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years and is banned for life from working with children.

The incident was brought to light around 9pm on July 21 of the previous year, when one of the girls’ parents contacted police after their daughter described being in McCloud’s house. The father recounted his frantic search, including shouting and calling her name, until he saw her and her friend. The girl then revealed she had been with 'the bad man' and led him back to McCloud’s flat.

Once there, the father and a neighbor encountered McCloud, who initially claimed the children had been there to play drums. When they looked inside, they saw a collection of music equipment along with cameras, a scanner, and a computer displaying disturbing images. McCloud tried to close a window but was prevented by his visitors, who identified a photo of a young girl, similar in age to their daughter, with her legs apart. His anger culminated in him being detained on the balcony until police arrived. During the arrest, McCloud appeared shocked, with officers describing him as seemingly calm despite the chaos.

Police also discovered a strange padded chamber in his home, which the girls described as a 'screaming box,' used repeatedly over time. The girls’ injuries and interviews indicated that McCloud had engaged in touching and other inappropriate behaviors. The four-year-old girl’s father defended his daughter’s innocence, describing her as comfortable with nudity in a playful context, but expressed concern that McCloud had altered images on his computer.

The trial confirmed McCloud’s guilt on multiple charges, including making indecent images of children and possessing indecent material, leading to his immediate imprisonment. The prosecution dropped counts related to child abduction (including a separate seven-year-old girl) and sexual assault. McCloud’s criminal activities have caused lasting trauma for the children involved and serve as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by individuals like him.