A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for grooming and sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl, in a case that marks the first UK conviction for encouraging a child to self-harm under the Online Safety Act 2023. Karl Davies, a married father of two from Wirral, Merseyside, contacted the vulnerable teenager on the gaming app Discord in 2023, posing as a teenage boy.
Davies used fake profiles on Snapchat, created with stolen Facebook photos, to manipulate the girl—who had learning disabilities, ADHD, and was in care—into sending explicit videos and footage of self-harm. He also posed as a user named 'Mark' to act as her protector from the other fictitious accounts he controlled. The abuse escalated to multiple sexual assaults in his car after he drove 50 miles to collect her from school in June and July 2024. On one occasion, he brought a razor blade and encouraged her to harm herself on video.
Judge Manley described Davies as 'depraved and sadistic,' stating he had 'plumbed the depths of abhorrent behaviour' and destroyed the victim's childhood and family. The sentence includes 20 years in prison plus an additional five years on licence. Davies pleaded guilty to 17 offences, including ten counts of sexual activity with a child. Police noted he showed no remorse and believed he may have targeted other young girls, though no other victims have been identified.
The case came to light when the girl told a schoolfriend she had entered a man's car in July 2024. Initially uncooperative, she later gave a three-hour police interview after building trust with a social worker. She helped identify Davies by recalling the date and location of one pickup, leading police to trace his leased Seat Ateca from Merseyside. Davies was arrested at his family home in February 2024.
Detective Sergeant Robert Griffiths of Greater Manchester Police called Davies 'sadistic' and highlighted the ease of online exploitation. The National Crime Agency had arrested Davies in 2020 on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case. Stacey Gosling of the CPS said she had 'never before seen such sophisticated methods used to target a young person.'
