- 24 Hours in Police Custody: ‘Nightclub Predator’ is on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm
This is the moment a rapist pulled an unconscious woman by her hair along a concrete patio beside a hot tub at his home, telling her: ‘You look so beautiful.’
Sexual predator Craig France, 33, would deliberately pursue women in the Peterborough area late at night, before luring them to afterparties at his home.
Once there, the lorry driver would ply his victims with alcohol before committing sexual offences against them, which he filmed and photographed.
France – dubbed the ‘Nightclub Predator’ – raped a woman and secretly filmed three others in his home and was jailed for ten years and seven months in March.
Now, the new series of Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody has followed the investigation into his sickening crimes in a double episode concluding tonight.
In a preview clip shared with MailOnline, police are seen investigating footage on cameras on the back of his house which point towards a hot tub in his back garden.
One officer can be heard saying ‘that is pretty covert, isn’t it’ as they review video downloads from the exterior cameras on the home in Fengate, Peterborough.
They spot him putting his arms around a victim before pulling her backwards across the concrete patio unconscious, and he is heard saying: ‘You look so beautiful.’
Police said France targeted young women at nightclubs and took them to his home where he had set up hidden cameras.
France recorded himself carrying out sexual acts on some of his victims while they were unconscious or sleeping.
His offending came to light in August last year after a woman reported he had raped her two years previously, and she later became aware he had filmed it.
The victim had been given a shot of ‘sambuca’ by France, while they were in his garden, police said.
The next thing she knew, she woke up in his bed with no recollection of what had happened – but knew something untoward had taken place, according to detectives.
Officers found more than 6,000 images and videos of several unidentified women who were secretly filmed at his home between March 2022 and September 2023.
They also found the video which showed the victim being raped by France, while she appeared to be ‘lifeless’.
It showed France carrying the victim, who was unable to stand, before dropping her in a hot tub and then dragging her on a concrete floor.
A further three victims were identified from the videos and images.
Officers also found a clip where France was naked in daylight by the side of a road in the Broxbourne area of Hertfordshire.
Another preview clip from the Channel 4 documentary reveals detectives going through France’s bedroom following his arrest, and finding a series of adult toys and equipment.
They discover a sex swing, spanking paddle and restraints under the bed – along with women’s underwear and love letters from a girl who appears to still be at school.
Officers also notice that the windows are all blacked out, and then uncover a small camera on the end of a stick and scores of 15ml bottles of Sudafed nasal spray.
A cabinet in the room also has dozens of bottles of alcohol, including Jack Daniel’s whiskey, Whitley Neil blackcurrant gin and two bottles of Sourz shots.
One officer is heard saying: ‘I’m not being funny, but Sourz, is that a 33-year-old man’s drink?’
In addition, the words ‘Get naked’ are seen on the wall.
France admitted rape, sexual assault, three counts of voyeurism and exposure at Cambridge Crown Court and was sentenced to ten years and seven months in prison.
He was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Now, Cambridgeshire Police fear there may be other victims who have yet to be identified.
France was a lorry driver, so detectives believe it is likely he was travelling across the UK for years, offending in different areas.
Police believe there could be hundreds of women who were abused by France and either do not realise or have not yet come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Helen Tebbit said: ‘Firstly, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to the victims, who, despite their ordeals, supported the investigation and bravely shared their stories on 24 Hours in Police Custody.
‘This programme will show that sexual predators can cleverly disguise their depraved behaviours – victims may not realise they are being groomed.
‘France portrayed himself as everyone’s best friend – caring, fun, and provided what his victims thought was a safe place to party. But in reality, he preyed on young women who had barely entered adulthood for his own sexual gratification.’
24 Hours in Police Custody: ‘Nightclub Predator’ on Channel 4, July 6 & 7 at 9pm
