In 2024, then 58-year-old David Lake (who demands to be referred to as Dr Lake), was sentenced for a predatory assault on a prison officer at HMP Isle of Wight. The investigation established that Lake, a self-styled “black witch” and former Cambridge University researcher, threw toxic cleaning fluid into the face of a senior officer. The prosecution reported at Newport Crown Court that the attack occurred after Lake was told to clean his “squalid” cell, which was infested with flies and rotting food, identifying a total abandonment of human decency by a man already serving life for sadistic violence.
The investigation established that Lake’s series of behaviour includes a history of extreme depravity and cannibalism. In 2012, he carried out a cannibalistic attack where he chewed and ate flesh from a woman’s arm. In 2018, he battered a shopkeeper in his 70s in Exeter until the victim lost consciousness from a fractured coccyx, before performing a sadistic sexual assault while wearing a carnival mask. This identifies a calculated series of assaults on the life-safety of the public by an individual ruled to have an untreatable personality disorder.
CELL BARRICADE AND CHEMICAL ASSAULT
The court reported that on 22 September 2023, Lake had barricaded himself in his cell with furniture and smashed a kettle. The investigation established that when Senior Officer Sam Mackay entered the cell to address the unsanitary conditions, Lake sprayed him with an irritant cleaning fluid, hitting his eyes and mouth. The prosecution reported in 2024, that the officer was left in significant pain with blurred vision, identifying a priority assault by Lake on the staff tasked with his supervision and care.
Judge-led proceedings at Newport Crown Court concluded with Lake being found guilty of assaulting a prison officer. For his actions in Exeter and at HMP Isle of Wight, and the nature of the series of cannibalism, child abuse (sexual deviancy), and sadistic violence investigations reported, Lake remains a Category A prisoner. The investigation established that his forensic profile as a “dangerous and untreatable” predator is a matter of permanent record, and he was sentenced to a further 12 months to run concurrently with his life term.
STATUS AND CASE DETAILS (2012-2024)
Based on judicial and prison service records as of 2024:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Assault on a prison officer; Sadistic sexual assault; Cannibalism; Child abuse norms disregard).
- Custodial Status: JAILED (In 2024, serving life at HMP Isle of Wight).
- Offence Nature: Sprayed toxic fluid at a prison officer; ate human flesh in 2012; battered and sexually assaulted an elderly man in 2018; self-identified “evil black witch.”
- Timeline of Case: Cannibalism 2012; Exeter sex attack 2018; Jailed for life 2020; Prison officer attack 2023; Sentenced 2024.
- Location: Exeter, Devon; Isle of Wight; Newport.
- Forensic Profile: Then 58-year-old male; doctorate holder and former researcher; diagnosed with grandiose illusions and a lack of empathy; identified as a permanent danger to the public.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active FOR LIFE.
- Judicial Oversight: Presided over by Newport Crown Court.
- Criminal Record: Convicted sex offender; Series predator; Cannibal; Jailed in 2024.
- Origin: Exeter links / Cambridge.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2024, Lake is managed as a maximum-risk predator under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the series of persistence in sadistic sexual violence and his disregard for human life-safety—he is held in the high-security prison estate. Authorities reported that the 2024 sentencing identifies Lake as an individual who prioritises his own “evil” persona and grandiose illusions over the principles of human decency and the safety of prison staff.
As a registered sex offender for life, his details are permanently logged on the national police database to ensure he is never released unless he is no longer deemed a risk, which current psychiatric reports suggest is unlikely. Authorities stated that the behaviour of Lake identifies a commitment to clandestine sadistic violence and the systematic violation of social norms. Any future attempt to assault prison staff or the terms of his incarceration results in immediate disciplinary and judicial intervention to ensure the ongoing protection of the community from a man who used an “academic doctorate” mask to hide a predatory and persistent series of assaults.
QUESTION – Given that the offender “ate human flesh” and carried out a “sadistic sexual attack” before attacking a prison officer, do you believe the law should legally mandate that “All Untreatable Sadistic Predators” must be “Held in Permanent Solitary Confinement” to prevent a series of assaults?
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