July 24th 2023.
David Harmes has been jailed after admitting to a string of sex offences. The 45-year-old, from Wharton Gardens, pleaded guilty to 88 sex offences involving 39 victims in the UK and six in the USA. Most of his victims were female, aged between six and 15, with one male victim.
At Chester Crown Court, Harmes admitted to using a number of guises to lure his victims in, such as posing as a model scout for a major clothing outlet or as a boy called Jaden, Alex or Jadenthelad. He targeted his victims after spotting them on YouTube or Instagram.
The court heard that Harmes had just served his sentence for similar crimes when he was released on February 14, 2019, only to begin offending again six months later. In February 2020, police seized his laptops, phones and other digital devices from his address and he was returned to prison for breaching his Sex Offender Notification Order.
Detectives pieced together the evidence to build a case against Harmes, linking him to his offences by distinctive bedding in the images found on his devices, as well as footage of him accidentally opening his laptop and filming his face for a few seconds. They then worked with US authorities to secure evidence for the victims in America, and in May this year Harmes was served with a summons to appear in court.
Detective Superintendent Simon Draco commented on the case, saying: ‘This has been a complex and meticulous investigation with international based victims that has resulted in the conviction of Harmes and will bring justice for the victims of his offending. We need to educate children, parents and carers about online predators in order to safeguard children from potential harm.’ He added that parents and carers need to be aware of what their children are doing online to protect them from people like Harmes.
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