Okehampton photographer is rapist

He's "most prolific sex offender in Devon and Cornwall's history"

A photographer who set up a fake modelling website to lure women has been convicted of 14 rapes and five counts of voyeurism at Exeter Crown Court after a six-week trial. Paul Brown, also known as Paul D Smart, aged 41 from Okehampton, will be sentenced in February. He had previously pleaded guilty to one offence of voyeurism but denied 28 other charges.

The jury heard how Brown used the fake modelling website to entice women whom he then referred back to himself as potential models to undertake pornographic casting shoots, which would often include himself as a participant. He asked them to sign a non-disclosure agreement and kept records of his sexual activity with many of them in a little black book and a photo album.

Brown promised the women that the footage he took would be sent to a modelling agency so that they might consider them for work. However, this was not the case and the sexual acts were solely for his own sexual gratification.

He was initially arrested in October 2017 following a complaint. After extensive examination of documentation and digital media, more women were identified.

The court heard how Brown had rented business premises at a unit in Okehampton where he worked on the side as a photographer, although it is not believed he had any formal training or qualifications in this area and his main line of work was in IT. 

Featuring heavily in this case was Brown’s business called Model South West, which was set-up as an agency that promoted models across a range of genres; from clothed and lingerie shots to adult and pornographic shots. The agency Brown had set-up was fictitious and that any person named by Brown as being involved with that business did not exist.

DI Naidoo, senior investigating officer said: “Paul Brown was one of the most prolific sex offenders in the history of Devon and Cornwall Police. He raped and sexually assaulted women over a period of five years. He created a web of deceit to coerce women, many of whom were vulnerable, into allowing him to sexually assault and rape them. It wasn’t until one brave young woman came forward that police were able to unravel the web that he had created.”

DC Northcott, officer in charge of this investigation, said: “I would personally like to thank the victims in this investigation for their courage and bravery in speaking to us and their patience and support for what has been a lengthy investigation. Lastly, it is important to highlight that these victims all have automatic anonymity for life.”