SISHA’s investigation leads to the sentencing of a British pedophile

May 19, 2011

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Thanks to the investigative efforts of SISHA and its partners, David John Fletcher, a British pedophile, was recently convicted of raping a 17 year-old Cambodian girl. He received a 10-year sentence that will hopefully be served in a Cambodian jail.

In 2009, SISHA was informed by the British Police’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Team (CEOP) of Fletcher’s previous convictions for child sexual abuse in the UK. The CEOP Team feared Fletcher could be abusing more children in Cambodia.

From that moment on, SISHA placed Fletcher under surveillance. At the time, Fletcher owned an unregistered bar in Phnom Penh and had created a bogus not-for-profit organization, also not legally registered, as a pretext to ask for donations.

Fletcher recruited donors in his bar but also sought and received international donations as well. He told donors his “humanitarian organization” aimed at distributing food and medicine to needy children, but the reality was much different.

SISHA soon discovered that Fletcher was trying very hard to seduce children and gain their trust. Children were invited to come to his bar where he would give them a dollar or food and take pictures with them.

Fletcher also used his cover as a “humanitarian worker” to target vulnerable children in the Stung Meancheay dump site and on the touristy riverside, a popular destination for trafficked and exploited children. SISHA investigators took statements from children who had been in contact with him, documented evidence and proceeded to build an air-tight case against Fletcher.

Fletcher is suspected of having sexually abused dozens of children in Cambodia alone, but due to the sensitive nature of sexual abuse and the reluctance of some witnesses and victims to collaborate with the police, SISHA had to concentrate on the cases that had the most chances of convictions.

After meeting with a brave 17 year-old girl who was raped by Fletcher, SISHA in conjunction with the Cambodian National Police (CNP) and the CEOP Team was able to build a strong case against him and start the process for an arrest warrant with the help of the British Embassy in Phnom Penh and the CNP.

Very soon, rumors of Fletcher sexually abusing children through his “humanitarian work” reached the media. Numerous articles were published denouncing his actions. Unmasked, David Fletcher fled to Thailand to avoid prosecution. SISHA and its partners urged the public to call SISHA’s Hotline if they had any information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts.

Shortly after Fletcher’s escape, SISHA received a critical piece of information which it transferred to Thai authorities. With this information, the Thai police was able to locate Fletcher in a local guesthouse and arrest him for immigration offenses. The reason stated for his arrest was omitting to mention his previous criminal offenses in the UK to Thai authorities. Thai authorities brought Fletcher to a detention center and were made aware of his arrest warrant in Cambodia.

During his detention, charges of rape were laid against him in a court of law in Cambodia. Fletcher was subsequently found guilty of the rape of the 17 year old girl. On May 9th, Fletcher was sentenced in absentia to a ten year prison term.

His defense lawyers asked that Fletcher serve his sentence in Cambodia. SISHA has been collaborating with the Transnational Crime Team in Cambodia, the CNP and the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand to have Fletcher repatriated to a Cambodian jail. Fletcher could also serve his sentence in the UK.

SISHA is encouraged by the news of his conviction and hopes that this sentence will deter future child abusers from preying on Cambodian children.

Despite the shocking nature of Fletcher’s actions, cases of foreigners sexually abusing children in Cambodia are a sadly common reality. Most troubling is that many of these people have been convicted for similar crimes in their home countries.

Convicting foreign child rapists in the destination country is extremely difficult since many are able to escape prosecution all together or are extradited to their home countries before they can pay compensation.

SISHA is dedicated to stopping sexual abuse where ever it occurs and bringing its perpetrators to justice. You can help by donating to SISHA investigations fund.