Prolific paedophile is HIV positive

Sex offender and accomplice groomed young boys online before filming their sexual abuse

Anthony Marsh (left) and Lee Davis (right), both admit to grooming vulnerable adolescent boys online before sexually abusing them

A prolific paedophile who groomed vulnerable adolescent boys across the country with an accomplice before recording their sexual abuse is HIV positive, it has been revealed.

Anthony Marsh, 53, and 39-year-old Lee Davis have already admitted to dozens of sex offences against boys between the ages of 13 and 17.

Salesman Marsh, who has the disease that causes Aids, and Davis, unemployed, targetted and befriended vulnerable teenage boys using social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo, along with specialist gay dating websites.

After grooming their victims they would meet up with them and sexually abusing them.

Aside from the string of offences the pair already admitted to at Sheffield Crown Court last month, detectives believe there may be even more victims, who have yet to be traced.

The Crown Prosecution Service decided it will not proceed with a small number of additional allegations denied by the pair.

Marsh and Davis, who both lived near Doncaster, were married and had their own families.

South Yorkshire Police said Davis filmed teenagers at his home or in his van. Officers believe that Marsh distributed some of the footage he recorded himself over the web.

Det Insp Delphine Waring said the pair spent hours online gaining the trust of their victims.

“Both were family men, both leading double lives,” the detective said.

“As well as all the victims of these appalling crimes, the families of both of these men are victims as well.

“Their families have been completely betrayed by the horrendous activity that both of these men have been undergoing.

“Their crimes are absolutely despicable. They've preyed on vulnerable young boys who have every right, in this day and age, to be able to experiment and use the internet.

“And especially young boys who are perhaps confused about their sexuality, it should be perhaps a safe environment for them to be able to experiment and explore online.

“However, both of these men - obviously vastly older than all of the child victims - have gained their trust, have preyed on that vulnerability and groomed them entirely for the purpose of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.

Det Insp Waring said there was no evidence that Marsh and Davis knew each other before they met online.

The offences took place in an eight-year period from 2005 until June this year.

Marsh and Davis will be sentenced in December.