Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Wednesday 15 April 2026 by Jill Powell

An ex-private school teacher has been found guilty of numerous child sexual abuse offences against former pupils. David James Clarke, 82, has been found guilty at Lewes Crown Court of 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

The Sussex police investigation and subsequent Crown Prosecution Service uncovered that while Clarke was a teacher at Newlands School, Seaford, East Sussex, committed 39 counts of indecent assault and four offences of indecency with a child, one offence of buggery.  He was also convicted of making indecent images of children. He took advantage of running a photography club which isolated boys in a dark room where he would commit various acts of sexual abuse progressing from touching both under and over clothing, to masturbation, oral sexual abuse and buggery.

When he was arrested the police discovered indecent images of children on his desk top computer.

Claire Brinton, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“David James Clarke preyed on 14 children at school, who were vulnerable because of their age, many who were isolated, away from their homes and families. Clarke was a teacher, in a position of utmost responsibility who exploited them for his own hideous and vile sexual gratification, often using threats and bribes to manipulate his way to abuse numerous boys in his care. 

“I hope these convictions send a clear message that the CPS, working closely alongside law enforcement, will relentlessly pursue justice and prosecute those who sexually exploit children and adults, whenever that abuse took place.

“All children have the right to feel safe. I encourage anyone who has been in a similar position to come forward to report these incidents to the police. It is never too late to seek justice - you are not alone and there is help available.”

Sussex Police Investigator Nicky Beard said:

“David Clarke’s victims have had to live with the impacts of his appalling crimes, while he likely thought he would escape punishment.

“He has now faced justice, in no small part thanks to the incredible bravery of these 14 men in coming forward and reporting to the police.

“I do not underestimate how difficult this process has been for them, facing trauma they have held since childhood. I hope this outcome provides some measure of closure.

“This outcome shows no matter how long ago offending took place, we will do all we can to hold perpetrators to justice and support victims. If you are a victim of sexual offending, even non-recently, please report it to us online or via 101.”

Source: The Metropolitan Police Service published on this website Monday 13 April 2026 by Jill Powell

It would enable investigators to identify and safeguard victims more quickly, while significantly reducing the need for officers and staff to manually review deeply distressing material.

Today’s (13 April 2026) announcement comes alongside a wider £10 million investment into spaces which will reduce trauma and improve outcomes for child victims.

The Met investigated over 5,400 child sexual abuse offences over the past year, requiring over 1300 children to be safeguarded for online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE) crimes, with online abuse being one of the fastest‑growing crime types.

Traditionally, officers may need to spend hours manually reviewing seized material to establish whether images or videos relate to known cases or indicate new, unidentified victims in need of urgent safeguarding. Images are then graded, across categories A, B, and C, with category A depicting the most severe abuse.

The Met is exploring how AI could assist by rapidly analysing large volumes of material to help flag content that may relate to previously unknown victims, enabling officers to prioritise cases, accelerate safeguarding action and focus human expertise where it is needed most. The force is in conversations with multiple companies about the tech and is testing how this could work across the force. This is in addition to another new technology, which allows officers to review and risk‑assess 641,000 messages in just 35 minutes.

OCSAE has increased by 25% year‑on‑year, with the Met currently managing over 12% of cases nationally. Identifying potential new victims earlier through AI could significantly shorten the time between detection and intervention, while also reducing the repeated exposure of officers and staff to traumatic content.

Any use of artificial intelligence would operate within strict legal, ethical and safeguarding frameworks, with specialist officers retaining decision‑making responsibility and human oversight central at every stage.

Alongside this, the Met is funding a £10 million programme to roll out new, victim‑dedicated Visual Recorded Interview (VRI) suites across London - designed to help children feel safe, supported and empowered when giving evidence during criminal investigations.

The new VRI suites reflect feedback from child victims, families and frontline officers and are designed to support children of all ages, including those who are disabled or neurodiverse. Attending a traditional police station can be intimidating and, for many children, traumatic, particularly where it marks their first interaction with police.

VRI recordings are taken during the early stages of an investigation and play a crucial role in informing lines of enquiry, supporting charging decisions and identifying safeguarding needs. In many cases, recordings are presented to juries during trial and evidence shows children give clearer, more accurate and more detailed accounts when they feel safe and supported.

Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said:

“The scale and complexity of child sexual abuse is changing, particularly online, and we must change how we respond.

“Alongside investing £10 million in child‑first interview spaces, we are exploring how artificial intelligence can be used responsibly to help identify potential new victims far more quickly than is possible through manual review alone. That speed matters when it comes to safeguarding children.

“This approach could also significantly reduce the amount of time officers and staff are exposed to the most distressing material, while ensuring that human judgement, strong oversight and victim care remain at the heart of every investigation.”

A total of 23 VRI suite locations have been selected for renovation, including stations with high demand for interviews such as Brixton, Holborn and Bethnal Green. Six sites are now complete, with Plumstead Police Station chosen as the pilot. The programme is due to be completed by the end of the year.

Design improvements include adjustable furniture to support younger children, expanded space for drawing and communication aids, improved educational and age‑appropriate resources, and calmer, more welcoming environments.

The programme forms part of the Met’s wider Children’s Strategy, which embeds a ‘child‑first’ approach across policing. Other actions already delivered include training 23,000 officers and staff in trauma‑informed communication with children, expanding specialist child exploitation teams by 72 officers, and rolling out Local Missing Hubs across London.

London’s Victims’ Commissioner, Andrea Simon, said:

"I welcome the Met Police’s investment in refurbishing their Video Recorded Interview (VRI) suites. For many victims, a VRI takes place early in the criminal justice process and safe, well-designed environments can make a real difference in building trust, during what can be a very traumatic time.

“Refurbished evidence suites that are designed around vulnerable victims and children’s needs is an important step forward. However, improving facilities is only one part of the picture. Many victims withdraw from the justice process before a charging decision is made, and to tackle this it is critical that victims are treated with care, dignity and support throughout every interaction with the police."

Source: The Children’s Commissioner’s Office published on this  website Tuesday 14 April 2026 by Jill Powell

“The findings from today’s inquiry into the terrible events in Southport in summer 2024 are a bleak reminder why the way children’s services work together is so crucial – failure can mean the death of an innocent child. In this case, it was three children: Bebe King, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Elsie Dot Stancombe, and it is their families I am thinking of today.

“Clear opportunities were missed to stop these three little girls being killed. Time and time again we have seen the real life consequences of services and professionals failing to take responsibility for these most complex groups of children like Axel Rudakubana: those with severe mental health conditions, those fixated on violence, or those who do not fit neatly into a category like counter-terror. I am working to understand these cases of children motivated by violence more deeply and what is needed to identify them sooner.

“Each failure like this is as devastating as the last, from the deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson in 2020, to Sara Sharif in 2023, to these murders. This inquiry must lead, finally, to the kind of change that I have called for throughout my time as Children’s Commissioner, where services are required to take responsibility, share information and work together to stop the most at-risk children becoming invisible.”

Source: City Of London Police published on this website Thursday 9 April 2026 by Jill Powell

Victims of investment fraud lost an average of £1,675 every minute last year, new figures from the City of London Police, the National Lead Force for Fraud, have revealed.

Criminals stole £879.8 million through investment fraud last year - an average of £2.4 million a day. 

In 2025, 34,673 people reported investment fraud to Report Fraud, the national service that replaced Action Fraud in December 2025. This marks a 31 per cent rise on the previous year, with officers warning that fraudsters are taking advantage of economic uncertainty, volatile markets and increasingly convincing online platforms to lure in victims.

The rise in reporting is not only linked to an increase in investment fraud, but also due to the point at which victims realise what has happened. Reports began climbing steadily from March and spiked in July and September when many people review their investments, move money into new products or check their returns ahead of the new financial year.

For thousands of victims, it was only at that point that the truth became clear: the investment they were sold never existed. Losses averaged £25,612 per person, often representing pension savings or long‑term investments.

Detective Superintendent Oliver Little, from the Lead Force Operations Room at the City of London Police, said:

“Investment fraud continues to have a devastating impact on victims, many of whom lose life‑changing amounts of money. Criminals are using professional‑looking websites, persuasive sales tactics and even cloned branding from real financial firms to appear legitimate We’re urging the public to take their time, carry out proper checks and get independent financial advice before parting with any money.”

Investment fraud last year ranged from bogus online trading platforms to fake bond schemes, cryptocurrency opportunities and glossy social‑media adverts that appeared to feature well‑known public figures. Fraud reports have highlighted how criminals now deploy AI‑manipulated videos, deepfake endorsements and cloned websites to draw victims in, echoing patterns seen across the wider fraud landscape.

Another growing problem is so‑called “recovery fraud”, where criminals return to previous victims while posing as law enforcement, lawyers or specialist recovery firms. They promise to retrieve stolen money but instead charge upfront fees and disappear. Detectives describe this as one of the most cynical developments in the fraud world, as criminals effectively monetise a victim’s desperation a second time.

Although victims were recorded in every police force area in the UK, the data suggests the picture may be even broader; more than a quarter of people reporting investment fraud did not disclose their location, limiting the ability to map the full spread of cases. Older adults, particularly those over 60, remained the most likely to come forward, in part because they are more likely to have significant savings or pension pots invested.

In parallel with these trends, officers have also observed a rise in so‑called “finfluencers” across social media - predominantly young male personalities who boast about making “easy money” on high‑risk trading platforms, particularly those linked to forex and rapid‑turnover investments.

Their content often glamorises quick wins, luxury lifestyles and aggressive self‑improvement narratives, themes recently explored in Louis Theroux’s documentary on the online ‘manosphere’. While not all of these personalities are involved in criminal activity, their posts can create a false sense of legitimacy around speculative trading and make inexperienced followers more vulnerable to opportunistic scammers who mimic the same language, style and promises.

As part of wider fraud‑prevention work, the City of London Police is urging the public to take simple steps to protect themselves.

• Before making any investment, use the FCA’s firm checker tool, to confirm whether a firm or individual is authorised. The tool can be accessed via the FCA website and is one of the most effective ways to avoid cloned firms and bogus advisers.
• We encourage anyone considering an investment to be cautious of unsolicited messages, adverts promising unusually high returns, or requests to keep the offer “confidential”.
• The City of London Police is reminding the public that any suspicious activity should be reported to Report Fraud as soon as possible at www.reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, victims of fraud and cybercrime should report to Police Scotland on 101.
• You can also contact the Financial Conduct Authority’s consumer helpline on 0800 111 6768 or report suspicious businesses or individuals by using the reporting form on their website