A Bloxwich paedophile teaching assistant, Daniel Clarke, is reported to have assaulted “well over 81” youngsters with special educational needs and impairments.
Daniel Clarke, from Bloxwich in Walsall, has been sentenced to JUST seven years and six months in prison after admitting to sexual offences involving six vulnerable youngsters.
A significant investigation is currently being conducted by West Midlands Police, who suspect he may be one of the most prolific sex offenders in recent history.
Daniel Clarke, 28, of Signal Grove, can finally be identified following the BBC’s successful challenge of a court order at Wolverhampton Crown Court that had prohibited the disclosure of his identity.
During the sentencing, the court learnt that the mother of one victim had compensated Daniel Clarke £3,500 for his services as a personal assistant for her child, although she felt as though she had been “paying him to abuse her son,” who has considered suicide.
Her son was among the “particularly vulnerable” youngsters, all of whom had additional needs and disabilities, whom Daniel Clarke “exploited his position of trust” upon, the court was informed.
Judge Michael Chambers KC first supported the police’s request to suppress his identification, citing concerns that the release of their broader probe could compromise future jurors.
However, following additional comments from the BBC, he resolved to revoke the ban completely, acknowledging that no future cases were either current or impending.
At a hearing in February, Daniel Clarke pleaded guilty to offences including making indecent photographs of a child, assaulting children by touching, and inciting children to engage in sexual activity with no penetration.
Prosecuting barrister Daniel Oscroft said the defendant had worked as a teaching assistant at a school in Solihull and, separately, as a personal assistant to several children.
Many of the details shared during a two-day sentencing hearing are too graphic to publish.
Sentencing Daniel Clarke, Judge Chambers said: “Those who have special educational needs are vulnerable and require protection and support.
“Both they and their close relatives are entitled to expect such protection and support from persons such as yourself, who are entrusted to look after them.
“What you did constitutes a gross breach of trust and will have caused significant psychological harm to those concerned.”
Daniel Clarke, who was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court, had a large number of digital devices, one of which had a list of his victims on it, dating back to 2016
The investigation into Daniel Clarke began in October last year, when police received reports he had been in an inappropriate relationship with a child, the court heard.
Inquiries revealed he had abused children by taking them back to his home, where he suggested they play “truth or dare games”.
The court heard two victims were dared to take off their clothes, before being stood back to back naked and exposed to pornography.
“He told them not to talk about what had happened to anybody else,” Mr Oscroft said.
The court was told that as part of his personal assistant role, Daniel Clarke would take children out for day trips and record them in public toilets using a portable camera.
Officers were later said to have discovered a large number of devices from the defendant’s address, including phones, laptops, “spy cameras”, internal CCTV type equipment and storage devices like hard drives and USB sticks.
He was said to have made a list of his victims, some of which dated back to 2016, the court heard.
During police interviews, Daniel Clarke was said to have denied any sexual interest in children, telling officers he was interested in the anatomy of young children and how they grow.
Mr Oscroft said the crown rejected this, and read out an impact statement from a victim’s mother, who also worked at the same school.
She said her “worst nightmare as a parent has become my reality”, with the offending significantly impacting her “confident Jack the Lad” child’s character and wellbeing.
“I thought there was some mistake,” she said. “He was a friend I undoubtedly trusted. The aftermath will haunt me every single day.”
The parent who had paid £3,500 to Daniel Clarke, said her son had even asked her to “buy him a casket”.
“He has ruined my son’s childhood and exposed him to harmful things nobody should ever encounter,” she said.
“My heart aches so badly for what he has done to my little boy.”
Defending barrister Katie Goodman said Daniel Clarke had previously been of good character and was “deeply ashamed and deeply remorseful”.
“He accepts there is nothing he can do or say to fix any of the harm and there is no just or satisfactory explanation for his offending behaviour,” she said.
“He had expressed that he is grateful of his remand [in custody] stating, ‘I can’t hurt anyone further’.”
Speaking on behalf of police, Mr Oscroft said Daniel Clarke would almost certainly be charged with further offences, possibly more than 81 victims.
But, a “complex and sensitive investigation” may continue for another year before charges are brought, he said.
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