'Sinister' Abuser Encouraged Girl to Self-Harm and Send Him Videos. Now He Learns His Fate By Christine Pelisek

A British man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday for sexually abusing a girl and encouraging her to cut herself with a razor.

Karl Davies, 42, previously pleaded guilty in May to seventeen offenses that included ten counts of sexual activity with a child, four counts of grooming, and two counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child.

He also pleaded guilty to the offense of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm.

The father of two is the first person to be convicted of that offense under the Online Safety Act 2023, the BBC reported.

“To encourage a vulnerable young girl to inflict harm on herself for your sexual gratification really does plumb the depths of abhorrent behavior,” Judge Hilary Manley said during sentencing, per the BBC. “Your offending displays a monstrous sense of sexual entitlement and a sinister desire for control.”

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Authorities alleged Davies made contact with the girl, who was 13 at the time, on Snapchat in June 2023 using the alias “Ben.”

“The communication soon led to image sharing, before ‘Ben’ encouraged the girl to share images with another account under the name ‘Chris,’” the Greater Manchester Police said in a press release. “Over the following weeks, several accounts contacted the girl, disappearing and re-appearing at various points, with phone calls and further image sharing taking place. The accounts were in fact all managed by Karl Davies.”

According to police, the accounts “alternated between blackmailing her to send indecent images, or acting supportive of her issues.”

The contact continued for several months, with the teen sending multiple videos to the different accounts.

“This included the girl being asked to send videos of her hurting herself, using items at the encouragement of the accounts,” police said.

In June of 2024, Davies, using one of the accounts, told the girl she had to meet his friend “Mark” to engage in sexual acts.

That same month, Davies, who was pretending to be “Mark,” drove from his home in Wirral to Stockport where he picked up the girl in her school uniform and abused her in his rental car. Police said the sexual abuse occurred several more times in June and July.

“Throughout this time, some of the accounts encouraged the girl to hurt herself, with Davies providing her with a razor during one of their meet-ups for the purpose of self-harm,” police said. “The girl subsequently sent images of her injuries to Davies’ accounts.”

The girl came forward to the police in Jan. 2025. Davies was arrested on Feb. 11.

The girl’s social worker provided a statement to the court that was read by prosecutors during sentencing.

“The impact on this victim has been astounding,” the statement read, according to the Manchester Evening News. “The defendant used power, control, fear and blackmail to exploit and abuse a child in plain sight. It has obliterated her belief in safe relationships and she now struggles to leave her home.”

“Her scars will forever be a reminder of the pain she was encouraged to inflict on herself,” the statement continued. “”The victim held shame for the abuse she endured, but the strength it has taken her to talk about what has happened has been astounding.”