North Yorkshire Man Jailed for Online Child Sex Offences
Main article content
Yesterday (Tuesday 12 May), a man from North Yorkshire was sentenced for multiple child sexual abuse offences.
David Dever, 55, of Bedale, North Yorkshire appeared at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to multiple online child sex offences.
Dever was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, received an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), and was put on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.
He admitted the following:
- Two counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence
- Seven counts of distributing indecent photographs of children
On 30 July 2025, Dever began communicating online with an individual he believed to be an adult female, during which he discussed his sexual interest in children. He went on to describe his intentions towards her children, and the pair arranged to meet with the aim of committing serious sexual offences against a child.
On 27 August, Dever travelled to the agreed meet-up location, where he was met by officers from the NWROCU’s Internet Child Abuse Team and arrested.
Upon his arrest, officers seized his mobile phone, which were later subject to forensic examination. During the examination, officers found more than 1700 category A, B, and C videos and images of children.
Detective Constable Alicia Northern from the NWROCU said:
“We welcome today’s sentence. David Dever demonstrated clear intent to abuse children, not only through the possession and distribution of indecent images and videos, but by actively travelling to meet someone to commit serious sexual offences.
“With Dever behind bars, we’ve prevented him from causing any further harm to children. We remain committed to protecting children from dangerous predators like Dever, and will continue to pursue those who pose a risk to children – they will be found and they will be brought to justice.”