November 2007

Child rapist from Finchley jailed for nine years

A manipulative paedophile who befriended and then raped three nine and ten-year-old girls has been jailed for nine years.

Handyman and Big Issue seller David Gray, 47, of Regents Park Road, Finchley, gained the trust of the girls and their parents and paid the girls to perform menial cleaning tasks at his basement flat.

He moved on to playing card games with his victims which involved the loser removing their clothes, before he sexually abused and raped them. He also drugged one of the victims before he committed the offence.

A jury found Gray guilty of three counts of rape and seven counts of sexual touching last month following a four week trial. On Friday, at Harrow Crown Court, he was sentenced to a minimum of nine years in jail and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The offences came to light when Social Services became concerned about Gray’s contact with the children and informed police. An investigation was opened by the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation Team and interviews with several children exposed the abuse.

Gray was initially charged in December last year with sexual touching of a child under 13 and remanded in custody. But in January further evidence came to light that he had used drugs to sedate and rape one of his victims.

Speaking after Gray was jailed, DC Paul Thomas of the Child Abuse Investigation Team said: “Gray abused the trust of both the children and their parents.

“He is a prolific offender and dangerous man who knew how to manipulate his friendship with his young victims to his advantage. I hope that they can now put these incidents behind them and go on to live their lives to their full potential.

“I would like to encourage anyone who has been the victim of abuse to contact the police so that we can ensure you are fully supported and, where possible, put the offenders before the courts.”