Man jailed for child exploitation offences

A man from West Byfleet has been jailed today (29 June) for sexually abusing a teenage girl and exploiting her into dealing drugs.

Martin Davison, 46, of Birchwood Road in West Byfleet, was sentenced to seven years in prison at Guildford Crown Court.

Davison’s offending began in July 2019, when he started supplying the girl with cocaine. Throughout the summer, the court heard how Davison manipulated the girl, who was 15 years old at the time, into believing that they were in a loving relationship.

He coerced her into dealing cocaine for him and would threaten her with violence to keep her from disclosing the relationship to anyone else, telling those around him that she was 18 years old.

A police investigation into Davison began in January 2020, when detectives from the Child Exploitation and Missing Unit began building a case of evidence, which included phone records, to show his abhorrent pattern of offending.

He was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and arranging/facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation by a jury on 10 May.

Detective Constable Lisa Larkin, who investigated the case, said: “I would like to commend the victim for her bravery in coming forward and persevering with our investigation and the criminal justice system with such tenacity.

“Davison is a dangerous sexual predator who will manipulate and exploit vulnerability for his own selfish gain.

“Often, this type of exploitation is happening in plain sight. It’s vitally important that as a community, we know how to spot the signs so that we can root out predators like Davison and safeguard children who are vulnerable to criminal and sexual exploitation.

“We work around the clock to investigate these types of cases, and I would urge anyone who is, or perhaps was, exploited as a child to please report it to us so that we can support you and seek justice.”

To read more about the signs of child criminal and sexual exploitation, click here.

You may also be interested in our ‘Did you see it coming?’ campaign from 2022, which challenges communities including hotel workers, pharmacists and taxi drivers, to spot the warning signs of child exploitation.