David Pearce, 70, has been jailed after DNA from a 2019 voyeurism arrest matched evidence from sexual offences committed in the 1990s. He pleaded guilty to seven sex offences at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, May 6.
Crimes at a lido and park
In 1990, Pearce impersonated a caretaker at a lido in Barking, east London. He approached a group of four children, claiming to search for lost keys, and lured them into a changing area. He forced them to undress and inappropriately touched them under the false pretence of finding the keys. The youngest victim was just 8 years old.
Officers collected statements and found semen on a bench at the scene, but the DNA could not be matched to any profile in the police database at the time.
DNA match after 2019 arrest
In 2019, Pearce was arrested for voyeurism. The DNA he provided was described as a 'one-in-a-billion' match to the semen sample from the lido incident. Detectives then reviewed similar reports and found victim statements from a 1996 incident with an identical pattern: a 13-year-old victim said a man forced her into shrubbery in a Barking park and assaulted her while claiming to search for lost keys.
Forensic Scientist Bridget March, who made the DNA match, said: "Forensics play a key role in investigations, with our team of professionals meticulously examining items to locate and present evidence, backed by science. The advances in science and discovery of the match to Pearce’s DNA profile ultimately paved the way to secure admissible evidence."
Victim identification and police comment
After Pearce's 2019 arrest, he was questioned about the 1996 incident. The victim attended an identification parade and confirmed Pearce as the assailant. Detective Constable Tony Anionwu from the Met’s Specialist Crime Unit said: "Pearce was a predator who disguised himself as someone in a position of trust to exploit and assault young children. His actions had a lasting impact, and I would like to thank the victim-survivors for their unwavering resilience and profound patience while we strived for justice."
He added: "Our dedicated team of officers have handled this case with sensitivity. As a force, we remain committed to securing justice for anyone who has experienced a sexual assault, no matter when they occurred, and over the past five years, we have more than tripled arrests and charges for this crime."
