BOURNEMOUTH MAN DAVID GRAHAM JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN CAMBODIA
In a significant case that highlights the reach of UK law into international child protection efforts, David Graham, a 47-year-old man originally from Bournemouth, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison at the Old Bailey for engaging in child sex offences committed in Cambodia.Graham, who owns a fish and chip shop, admitted to having sexual activity with a 15-year-old boy in Phnom Penh back in 2006, a revelation that has drawn attention to the use of new legislation in prosecuting offences committed abroad.
Graham's criminal activities came to light after a lengthy investigation that spanned several countries.
He was arrested in France last year after spending six years on the run following the offences.
His travels took him through Cambodia, where he was observed by a French child protection charity, Action Pour Les Enfants Investigators, which specializes in combating child exploitation.
The charity's investigators became suspicious of Graham while he was in Phnom Penh, particularly because he was seen approaching street children near the Royal Palace area, a known hotspot for vulnerable youths.
At the time, Graham was 40 years old and was seen hanging around the riverside area outside the Royal Palace.
The charity workers followed him discreetly as he made his way back to his hotel.
They observed him beckoning over a young boy, who was reportedly sniffing glue and had run away from his aunt after losing his parents.
The investigators recorded Graham on video for nearly an hour, during which he was seen sitting on a bench with his arm around the boy.
The footage captured him placing his hand on the boy and, in a disturbing incident lasting about half an hour, seen putting the boy’s hand down his shorts.
The boy was paid 6,000 Riel, approximately £0.99, for his participation.
Following this incident, Graham left Cambodia the next day.
However, hotel records and other evidence allowed investigators to trace his movements.
About ten days later, Graham was spotted again in Phnom Penh, engaging with children, buying them food and clothes, and taking them to restaurants.
The young boy involved in the initial incident later told the charity that Graham had held him by the wrist and tried to put his hand inside his shorts, describing his fear and discomfort during the encounter.
UK authorities were alerted to Graham’s activities, and he was arrested at his Bournemouth home two months later.
During the investigation, French detectives discovered that Graham possessed a British passport under a false name.
He was extradited back to the UK to face charges.
Initially, he pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a boy under 13 and with a 14-year-old, but during his trial at the Old Bailey, Graham admitted to sexually assaulting the 14-year-old.
The charge involving the younger boy remains on file.
Judge John Bevan, presiding over the case, emphasized that he was not particularly concerned with whether Graham was a sex tourist or simply an individual who chose to indulge in such acts while abroad.
As part of his sentence, Graham was ordered to register as a sex offender and was also required to pay £2,500 towards police costs.
This case marks a notable instance of the UK’s legal system addressing child exploitation offences committed overseas, following the precedent set by earlier cases such as that of Barry McCloud, who was jailed for life in 2010 for similar offences in Goa.
