A man targeted a 15-year-old girl in the dead of night, claiming he wanted to walk her home because there are “sick” men around – but sexually assaulted her instead.
Predator Scott Davis deceived the girl by putting on a ‘knight in shining armour’ act when he approached her in the A350 Beanacre Road underpass in Melksham at around 5am on 1 January 2022.
The youngster had been due to sleep over at a friend’s house following a New Year’s Eve party, but decided to make the 45-minute walk home alone – because she wanted her own bed.
Accosting his victim in the street, the 39-year-old told her that he was an ex-firefighter and wanted to ensure she got home safely because it’s “dangerous” and there are “sick” men about.
“He said he used to be a fireman and how you’ve got to be careful walking about the town centre, talking about other men trying to get off with younger girls and he finds it sick and whatever”, she told detective Sarah Greenman during a video-recorded interview.
Adding: “He kept going on about other men [being a danger], I was agreeing with what he was saying; it wasn’t wrong. I was feeling like reassured.”
A short time into the journey, in the Murray Walk area, Davis grabbed hold of the girl’s hand – holding it tightly. She “tried to pull away”, but he “was squeezing my hand”.
The girl said that she felt “scared” and “didn’t know what was going to happen”, describing how Davis was much bigger than her and she probably wouldn’t be able to fight him off.
In the Forest Road area, the former rugby player took her down an unknown lane – where he launched a sex attack lasting approximately two minutes. Davis grabbed her around the waist, pulled her closer and kissed her on the lips.
“You’ve got a good figure”, he told the girl – whilst proceeding to put his hands down her trousers and squeezing her buttocks. He raised her leg and held it up with one hand.
“I tried to leave, but I couldn’t really move because of how tight he was holding me around my waist”, she told DC Greenman. “I was scared, I didn’t know what to do.”
After the assault, Davis repeatedly told the girl his full name and asked her to add him on Instagram – giving her the username “Scotty Bear”.
The victim replied: “Please I want to leave, there’s cameras, you’re on camera”, and he started to walk away but as he did, he continued to ask her to find him on social media.
Following the incident and concerned he might still be in the area, the girl contacted a male friend in her age group. He found her crying in a nearby park, where he comforted her before walking her home 20 minutes later.
During a trial at Salisbury Crown Court on Monday (11 September), the teenager said there were “loads of tears”, stating he has “never seen anything like it before”.
Orlando Gibbons, prosecuting, said that when the victim eventually opened up about her ordeal on 22 February 2022, photographs of a Scott Davis were shown to her by a friend who found images online. She positively identified him as her attacker.
Davis – who didn’t take to the stand to give evidence – claimed it was a case of mistaken identity.
Mr Gibbons told the court that the defendant provided a prepared statement in police custody – outright denying the offence.
He said he had been working at The Grapes public house as a glass collector and left work after midnight on 1 January, and “went straight home”. He said he couldn’t recall the route he took.
However, a jury of nine men and three women – following more than five hours of deliberations – reached a majority verdict and convicted him of sexual assault.
Davis, of Portman Road, Melksham, was released on conditional bail ‘to get his affairs in order’ ahead of his sentencing hearing in November – where he could be jailed.
The defendant is the brother of Stacey Davis, a woman jailed for leaving her one-year-old baby boy at home to die in a heatwave, whilst shopping and getting her car washed.
Ethan Davis was found unresponsive in his cot and a post-mortem examination found a significant head injury – a 15cm skull fracture – but Ethan’s cause of death remains unascertained.
Judge Parkes KC described her behaviour as “thoroughly selfish”, adding: “It is clear you abandoned him on two occasions, including the day of this death.”
READ MORE: Melksham mum jailed after she abandoned baby to die alone with skull fracture
