24 Hours in Police Custody viewers were left outraged after hearing the sentence of predator Craig France on Monday night
24 Hours in Police Custody viewers were left “raging” after learning about the sentencing of a predator on Monday (July 7).
The Channel 4 programme offers an unfiltered look into the high-stakes world of police work, shadowing detectives as they investigate serious crimes around the clock.
The most recent two-part investigation, titled Nightclub Predator, took viewers behind the scenes with Cambridgeshire Police’s Rape Investigation team as they tirelessly worked to bring Craig France to justice for his horrific crimes.
The probe into 34-year-old France was initiated when a young woman came forward in August last year to say that she had been raped.
A search of France’s Peterborough residence led to the discovery of numerous hidden cameras, which had recorded over 6,000 deeply disturbing images and videos, reports Cambridgeshire Live.
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Prior to his trial, France pleaded guilty to charges of rape, sexual assault, voyeurism and exposure, which were accepted.
This admission of guilt made him eligible for a reduced sentence of ten years and seven months.
One of France’s victims expressed her frustration, saying: “It makes me really angry when I think about him having a shorter sentence just because he admitted to it. It doesn’t mean he’s sorry.”
Detective Chief Inspector Helen Tebbit also voiced her concerns, stating: “It haunts me that we’ll never know the extent of his offending has been. We can’t just assume that the digital evidence we have is everything that could of ever happened.
“But the important thing is he can no longer commit them, and that’s the biggest win out of this.”
After watching the episode, several of the show’s viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their outrage after learning of France’s sentence.
“Absolutely appalling sentence, I’m absolutely raging,” one person wrote, with another adding: “This is unbelievable.”
Another shared: “This is truly frightening. He should spend the rest of his life behind bars,” while a third said: “It’s just got worse and worse as the episodes have gone on. This is absolutely disgusting.”
A fourth viewer echoed the sentiment, arguing: “10 years is an insult to those poor women and is further evidence of our horrendous criminal justice system! I couldn’t care less if he pleaded guilty – what he did and the impact it has had on their lives shouldn’t be downgraded because he said he did it!”
Since France was sent to prison, new potential victims have come forward. However, Cambridgeshire police believe there could be many more women who are unaware of his crimes against them.
24 Hours in Police Custody is available to stream on Channel 4