In 2009, the Offender Database recorded that David Cooper and his girlfriend Kerry Hobson were jailed for the systematic physical and sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl. Cooper—who used three different aliases—was sentenced at Hull Crown Court alongside Hobson following a four-month campaign of cruelty. It was reported that the investigation began after the victim was recovered from a travellers’ campsite where she had been effectively held as a sex slave.
The investigation established that the couple exerted total control over the teenager, dictates right down to when she could shower or use the toilet. Hull Crown Court heard that Cooper forced the girl into sexual intercourse every day, while Hobson facilitated the abuse by making appointments for the victim to receive contraceptive injections. The prosecution reported that when the girl refused to obey her captors, she was tethered to the outside of a caravan for an entire day using a motorcycle chain.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that the victim was subjected to near-daily physical assaults, with Hobson hitting her in the face and Cooper punching her about the body. Hull Crown Court heard evidence from witnesses at the site who described the girl as appearing to be a slave. The investigation established further depravity through the recovery of a dictaphone and a letter which referred to the girl being tied up for sex sessions while Hobson engaged with another man.
Judge Michael Mettyear presided over the sentencing, describing Cooper as a serious risk to women. For his actions on the campsite, Cooper pleaded guilty to eight specimen charges of sexual activity with a child and one charge of child cruelty, resulting in a nine-year prison sentence. Hobson was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for her role in the abuse. The judge noted that the victim had turned to the pair for help but instead received misery and abuse that she may never fully recover from.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in East Yorkshire, the status of David Cooper as of April 6, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: RELEASED (Served 9-year term; sentenced 2009; released circa 2015-2018).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for life.
- SOPO Status: Sexual Offenders’ Prevention Order active for 10 years (Expired 2019).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Sexual activity with a child under 16; Child cruelty; 9 counts total).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Hull Crown Court; investigated by Humberside Police.
- Criminal Record: Held a 15-year-old as a sex slave; Used a motorcycle chain to tether the victim; Daily sexual and physical assaults.
- Origin: East Yorkshire.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Cooper is managed as a high-risk registered sex offender within the East Yorkshire area following his release from prison. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically the extreme levels of “coercive control” and the use of physical restraints—his management is a priority for the Humberside Police Public Protection Unit. Authorities state that his history of using multiple aliases and his involvement in a nomadic lifestyle makes him a challenging individual to track without the most rigorous notification requirements.
As a registered sex offender for life, the defendant’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that while his initial 10-year SOPO has expired, his inclusion on the sex offenders register remains a permanent safeguard. Any future residence in East Yorkshire or across the UK will be subject to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Any failure to notify police of his movements, any attempt to use a false identity, or any unauthorised contact with minors will result in immediate arrest to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from his demonstrated pattern of predatory enslavement.
QUESTION – Given that the offender used a motorcycle chain to tether a child and held her as a slave, do you believe that “False Imprisonment” in sexual abuse cases should carry a mandatory whole-life tariff?
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