Pensioner, 78, convicted of historic sex offences against children

Davies

A pensioner, who was extradited to face what are believed to be the oldest charges ever to be heard in a UK court, has been convicted of a catalogue of sex offences against children.
Reginald Davies, 78, of Wanneroo, Western Australia, has been found guilty of 13 historic offences which were committed against four girls between 1949 and 1973 when they were aged between 9 -16 years old.
Davies will be sentenced on Friday 26 October.
The offences which took place over 60 years ago were investigated by specialist detectives from the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation team.
During his trial at Kingston Crown Court, the jury heard Davies abused his victims in Abertridwr, near Caerphilly in South Wales, while he was aged between 15 and 39.
He made his young victims feel “they wouldn’t be believed, were to blame, and would be removed from their parents” if they told of the abuse. He also told one of his victims she would be taken to a "naughty girl's home" if she spoke to anyone about the abuse, and she would never see her mother again.
Davies moved to Australia in 1974, but came to light in 2008, when two of his victims whilst were holidaying in Australia, decided to confront him and report him to the Australian authorities.
MPS officers liaised with the Australian authorities in May 2008, when a third victim came forward. An investigation was launched, during which a fourth victim was identified. In August 2010 the MPS were granted an arrest warrant for Davies’ extradition and arrest.
On 28 September last year, Reginald Davies was arrested by the Australian authorities and escorted onto an airplane bound for London where he was met by detectives from the MPS at Heathrow Airport, and charged.
Detective Inspector Tessa Philpott, Child Abuse Investigation Command, said:
"When Reginald Davies emigrated to Australia in 1974 he thought that he had left behind not only the UK, but also the horrendous catalogue of abuse he committed against four small children. I would imagine he thought his past would never catch up with him and he would never face justice, but thanks to the bravery of his victims, his past did catch up with him, and today he faces justice.
"I hope that this will go some way towards helping his victims whose lives have been blighted by him, to move forward in some small way. I also hope that his extradition from the other side of the world and conviction give other victims the confidence to come forward and report their experiences to the police.”