BURTON MENTAL HEALTHCARE WORKER GROOMED CAMHS PATIENTS HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP
Daniel Knight, a 32-year-old resident of Burton and employed as a mental healthcare assistant, misused his position of trust by grooming underage patients who were vulnerable.He initially made contact with a teenage girl through Snapchat after meeting her at a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) facility where she was receiving treatment.
His actions led to an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which revealed that he engaged in sexualized conversations with the girl and pressed her to send explicit images and videos.
Additionally, Knight offered to procure cocaine and alcohol for another girl who had also been a patient at the same CAMHS center.
He pleaded guilty to charges including encouraging the commission of an offence and producing indecent images of children.
The NCA arrested him in April of the previous year, and though the images did not depict his face, authorities confirmed his identity using clothing recovered from his home matching the items in the images.
The victims helped authorities identify two other underage individuals; one reported that Knight tried to buy her drugs and meet her, and she had sent him numerous photographs of herself.
Law enforcement officials interviewed seven witnesses, all of whom stated Knight attempted to pursue them online in a sexualized manner, but none engaged with him.
Knight resigned from his role at the CAMHS facility in August 2021 after being suspended following a report by a victim.
During a court hearing at Stafford Crown Court on May 26, he admitted to three charges of encouraging the commission of an offence and two counts of making indecent images of children.
He denied allegations of stalking and violating a Sexual Risk Order; these charges are scheduled for trial on October 9, with sentencing to follow.
The NCA commended the bravery of the victims, with Danielle Pownall, the agency’s operations manager, remarking: "Daniel Knight abused his trusted position in the most deceitful manner, exploiting vulnerable young girls to fulfill his sexual desires.
I am grateful to the victims who came forward and provided evidence, which contributed to today’s guilty pleas.
Their courage is admirable and demonstrates that law enforcement is committed to listening to those who report online sexual abuse."
