DAVID CARROLL FROM CAMBORNE SENTENCED TO 19 YEARS FOR CHILD RAPE AND ABUSE IN CORNWALL

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Camborne, Cornwall, David Carroll, aged 28, was handed a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of heinous crimes involving the sexual abuse of a young girl. The case, which was heard at Truro Crown Court, revealed a pattern of disturbing behavior that spanned several years and involved multiple violations of legal restrictions imposed on Carroll due to his previous offenses.

Carroll’s criminal history is extensive. He had previously served time for possessing indecent images of children, a conviction that led to strict notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Despite these measures, Carroll continued to engage in illegal activities, which came to light during routine monitoring visits. In September 2017, a house visit by a monitoring officer uncovered evidence of sexual communications with a child on Carroll’s phone. Further investigations in April 2018 revealed that Carroll was using a friend’s computer to facilitate these illicit exchanges. When police arrived at his residence, Carroll was found attempting to delete material from his device.

An examination of Carroll’s phone uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent images of children, including photographs of a girl under the age of 10 being abused. The girl in question was the daughter of an old friend of Carroll’s, a woman with whom he had previously been close. Over time, Carroll re-established contact with her, falsely claiming that his previous imprisonment was due to “computers and hacking,” a story he told the woman during a visit on February 10, when he stayed overnight at her home. Unbeknownst to her, Carroll had a hidden agenda.

The court heard that Carroll took ten photographs of himself abusing the young girl while she was asleep, an act he committed without her knowledge or consent. The mother of the victim, in a victim personal statement, expressed her profound shock and disgust upon discovering what Carroll had done. She described feeling physically sick and carrying a heavy burden of guilt for not suspecting his sexual interest in children earlier.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Simon Carr emphasized the severity of Carroll’s actions and his entrenched sexual interest in children. The judge recounted that Carroll had previously been sentenced in March 2016 to two years in prison for similar offenses, including possession of child abuse images and extreme pornography. Despite the restrictions imposed at that time, Carroll had flagrantly breached his notification requirements by staying in the woman’s house with her children, where he continued his illegal activities.

Judge Carr highlighted that Carroll’s behavior demonstrated a clear pattern of predatory conduct, including filming himself abusing the sleeping child to relive the act later. The judge concluded that Carroll posed a significant risk to children and, therefore, sentenced him to an extended term of 19 years in prison—comprising 14 years of custody and five years on license.

In a related development in December 2018, Carroll admitted to raping a child and breaching his notification conditions. He appeared at Truro Crown Court via video link from HMP Exeter, where he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, taking indecent photographs of a child, and making indecent images of children. The court found that Carroll possessed images classified as Category A, B, and C, indicating the severity of his offenses. He is scheduled for sentencing on January 25, and until then, remains in Exeter prison, awaiting the culmination of justice in this disturbing case.