Christopher David Clark

Christopher David Clark, a 56-year-old man from Newark, has a long history of sexual offences dating back to 1995. At the age of 28, he was convicted of having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl, marking the beginning of his criminal record related to child sexual exploitation.

In 2016, Clark, then known as Christopher Ivermee, faced further charges after police discovered 81 photographs of children on a memory stick, one photograph and two videos on his computer, and seven photographs on his iPhone. The court heard that Clark had been contacted on an online forum by what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl who sent him explicit pictures. This individual turned out to be a man from South Wales who blackmailed Clark out of £1,000. For these offences, Clark was sentenced to three years of community service and required to complete a sex offenders’ programme. He also received a sexual harm prevention order lasting five years.

Clark's most recent offence occurred in 2022, when he sent inappropriate sexual messages to a 14-year-old girl from Grantham, whom he knew as a family friend. The messages included discussions of a sexual nature, such as shaving private parts and masturbation. The girl showed the messages to her family, who contacted the police. Clark was arrested on 1 January 2022. The girl's mother stated in court: “She gave me permission to check the messages and they were of a sexual nature. They were talking about inappropriate things such as shaving your private parts and masturbation.”

At Nottingham Crown Court, Clark was sentenced on 29 November 2023 to a total of 44 months, comprising 20 months of immediate imprisonment and a 2-year extended licence period. Additionally, he was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life and placed on the sex offenders register for life. He may also be barred from working with vulnerable adults and/or children. The sentencing reflects his status as a registered sex offender and the severity of grooming a minor online.

The victim's mother expressed profound guilt and betrayal in her impact statement, saying: “In my mind, I thought I knew him and he made me believe that stuff in the past had not been his fault. I feel a lot of guilt because I feel stupid for listening to his side when other people were telling me he wasn’t a good person and we let him into our house and our lives thinking that the people who made claims in the past were liars.” The daughter, now aware of the manipulation, feels betrayed and has become wary of males, trusting only her grandfather. Her victim impact statement highlighted how she did not understand the inappropriateness at the time but now realises the gravity of the situation.

This case was reported by the Newark Advertiser, with details emerging from court proceedings at Nottingham Crown Court. Lincolnshire Police, responsible for the area where the victim resided, investigated the matter following the family's report.