DAN BRASIER'S SHOCKING CRIMES IN BRACKNELL AND CORNWALL: POLICE BLUNDER ALLOWS PAEDOPHILE TO LIVE WITH FAMILY

In August 2012, a disturbing case of police negligence came to light involving Dan Brasier, a known sex offender whose criminal history spanned several years and multiple locations, including Bracknell and Cornwall. The case highlights serious failures within law enforcement agencies that allowed Brasier to live undetected with a single mother and her two young children for a period of two years, during which he fathered a child with her.

Despite the lessons supposedly learned from the tragic Soham murders, police authorities failed to pass critical information about Brasier’s past between different police forces. This oversight meant that Cheryle, the mother, was not informed of her partner’s background as a convicted child sex offender. The consequences of this lapse were devastating, as Brasier’s presence in her home put her children at significant risk.

Dan Brasier, aged 33 at the time, first attracted police attention in August 2007 when he engaged in an online grooming conversation with a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl. Unbeknownst to Brasier, the girl was actually an undercover officer from the Metropolitan Police. Scotland Yard promptly notified Thames Valley Police, as Brasier was residing in Bracknell, Berkshire. During the investigation, authorities seized his computer equipment, which revealed images of child pornography. Despite the ongoing investigation, Brasier moved to Cornwall, where he continued his life largely unmonitored.

In October 2008, Brasier met Cheryle while walking their dogs in Cornwall. She recalls her initial impression of him as a kind, gentle, and honest man. She explained, “When I first met Dan he seemed such a kind, gentle and honest man. We just seemed to click. He told me he had just moved down from Berkshire after splitting up with his girlfriend.” Both women, having recently experienced difficult breakups, found solace in each other's company. Cheryle was cautious but open to forming a connection, especially since she was thinking about her children’s well-being.

Over time, their friendship deepened. In September of the following year, Cheryle invited Brasier to her home to meet her two sons, then aged eight and six. She explained her reasoning: “I was adamant it had to be the right person as the boys were incredibly bruised after the breakdown of my relationship with their father. I thought Dan was that person. From that point on he pretty much moved in.”

However, the truth about Brasier’s criminal past was hidden from her. Despite his arrest in 2009 for possessing indecent photographs, performing a sex act in front of a child, and attempting to procure a child for sex, police failed to inform the Devon and Cornwall force. Brasier kept his arrest secret from Cheryle, and she remained unaware of the full extent of his offenses until much later.

In November 2010, Cheryle became pregnant unexpectedly and decided to keep the child, believing Brasier was committed to their relationship. Yet, just three months afterward, Brasier was formally charged with multiple offenses related to child pornography. He was accused of making indecent photographs, performing a sexual act in front of a child, and attempting to procure a child for sex. Brasier managed to conceal these charges from Cheryle by claiming he was on “training days” during his court appearances.

Her world was shattered in August 2011 when she received an anonymous text message while nursing her newborn daughter. The message read: “R U Dan Brasier’s girlfriend? Do U No he was charged with child protection in October 2010? R Ur kids safe?” Cheryle immediately forwarded the message to Brasier, who responded with a simple “What?” Her suspicions grew when she searched online and found a listing for his court appearance at Reading. The realization hit her hard: “I felt physically sick. Part of me didn’t want to believe it was true but I think deep down another part of me knew it was.”

Confronting Brasier, she was met with denial. He claimed the allegations were malicious and false, made by a bitter ex-girlfriend. She recalled, “I’d just had a baby. My boys had a new stepdad. I thought we were getting married. I really wanted to believe him. So I stayed.” However, her trust was further betrayed when she discovered from his computer that Brasier had solicited women online for sex while she was pregnant. After he pleaded guilty in August, she finally ended their relationship.

Brasier was sentenced to a nine-month sex offender rehabilitation scheme and placed under a three-year supervision order. Despite this, the police’s failure to share information about his past with other forces meant that he continued to live freely with Cheryle and her children, exposing them to danger. Recently, Detective Chief Superintendent Nikki Ross issued a letter acknowledging the police’s “incompetence,” stating, “As a result of the [two officers’] incompetence you and your young family were clearly at risk from Mr Brasier for the period he lived with you. Such incompetence is unacceptable.”

Cheryle expressed her anger and frustration, saying, “One day I will have to tell our daughter who her father is. I am dreading that. I am furious. I feel angry some idiotic police officers were so bloody stupid, lazy or ignorant to have put me in such a hideous position.” Brasier refused to comment on the case.

In September 2012, a new shocking development emerged. Brasier, now 33, had moved in with a police officer named Claire, who is currently eight months pregnant with his child. Claire, aged 32, was aware of Brasier’s criminal convictions for possessing child pornography, performing a sex act in front of a child, and attempting to procure a child for sex. The two met when Brasier was working as a satellite TV engineer and installed a system at her home in August 2011. Around that time, Brasier was sentenced to complete the nine-month sex offender’s scheme and was under a three-year supervision order.

Within weeks of their meeting, the couple began dating, and by December, Claire was pregnant. She was informed of Brasier’s convictions in March, yet she chose to continue their relationship. The revelation of Brasier’s past and his living arrangements with Cheryle and her children underscores the systemic failures that allowed such a dangerous individual to remain in the community, even after multiple convictions and court orders. The case continues to raise questions about police procedures and the safety of vulnerable families in the area, especially in Bracknell and Cornwall, where Brasier’s criminal activities spanned.