Former Spandau Ballet frontman Ross Davidson from Aberdeen jailed over series of rapes and sexual assaults

A former Spandau Ballet frontman who believed he could have “sex on demand” has been jailed for 14 for a series of rapes and sexual assaults.

Ross Davidson, 38, was convicted across two trials of two counts of rape, an attempted rape, three sexual assaults, and two charges of voyeurism, in offences committed against six women between August 2013 and December 2019.

The singer, who used the stage name Ross Wild, had starred in Queen-based West End musical We Will Rock You and performed in 2018 as the lead singer for 1980s favourites Spandau Ballet.

He called himself “sex positive” and claimed all contact with the women was consensual, but juries found him guilty of a string of charges.

At Wood Green Crown Court on Thursday, Judge John Dodd KC, the Recorder of Haringey, said: “For a period of six years between 2013 to 2019 and at a time when your stage and musical care was fast developing, and you were seen by many as a charismatic, you were also behaving to women in a wholly disgraceful manner.”

The judge told Davidson he had an “adventurous attitude to matters sexually” and treated the women, some of who cared or loved him, “without respect.”

Each of his six victims gave evidence “vividly and without exaggeration” to state how he had “abused” their trust, the judge said.

Davidson filmed himself raping one woman and some of the sexual assault charges, which were based on videos recovered from his phone, showed “strikingly similar” incidents where he touched sleeping women, the prosecution said.

Prosecutor Richard Hearnden said videos were taken when women were “as vulnerable as can be” as they were in “such a deep sleep that they could not be disturbed”. They found out about the sexual assaults when the police told them.

Five of the women attended the hearing, including three who sat quietly in the court as the sentence was handed down.

Davidson sat reading a book in the dock as statements detailing the ongoing trauma suffered by the victims were heard in court.

The Aberdeen-born musical theatre actor, aspiring songwriter and singer, from Finchley, north London, was convicted in July 2024 after his first trial, of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and voyeurism, involving offences against four women.

At the second trial last January, a jury convicted him of raping a woman in London in March 2015, and the attempted rape and sexual assault of another woman in Thailand in December 2019.

Davidson had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of voyeurism in December 2019 against the same woman in Thailand, after a video he had taken of her as she slept was found on his mobile phone.

Mr Hearnden had said Davidson had been thought of as “a bit of a sex symbol” but the two women say he had “a much darker side that they did not notice, at least at first”.

He had success, musical talent and was considered “charming and charismatic” but “it is because Ross Davidson expects to get sex on demand that he will resort to rape and sexual assault if he is not given what he thinks he deserves”, Mr Hearnden said.

Davidson, who met the women on the Tinder dating app, claimed at trial that all sexual contact had been consensual.

The woman whose rape Davidson filmed condemned his actions as “unforgivable” and stated “I was traumatised”.

Another victim, in her statement, said: “Since the rape, my life has been permanently changed. I no longer feel safe or able to trust the world as I once did.

“Ordinary situations can feel threatening, and I live with constant anxiety and hyper-vigilance. Emotionally, I experience fear, sadness, anger, and at times numbness. My sleep is disrupted, and I often feel exhausted.”

A third woman said she “developed anxiety” after discovering details about the sex assault.

Another victim, who is taking medication after being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, described herself as now “guarded and introverted” in contrast to previously having been a sociable person.

After discovering she had been filmed, she said: “My heart sank. I was distraught. I felt violated and betrayed by someone I trusted.

“This was an awful thing to learn and it had an immediate impact on my mental wellbeing. I was struggling to sleep, focus on work and interact normally with friends and family.

“I found myself intermittently between tears and anger because of what he did to me. He had no right to do what he did and it made me feel disgusted with him.”

Another woman who was 16 when her involvement with Davidson became “toxic” said he had “took away my youth, innocence and right to freedom”.

She struggled to find the courage to come forward to give evidence about the voyeurism charge but felt it was the right thing to do.

His final victim, who was attacked in Thailand, branded Davidson as a “coward” stating “by refusing to admit his guilt I feel that he has retraumatised me – I find his cowardice utterly deplorable.”

She said Davidson had “irreparably damaged” many people, adding “I hope one day he finds peace with God as I will never forgive him.”

The woman added: “Throughout April 2023, I was consumed with fear, shame and anger. I no longer felt safe in my own body. I struggled with night terrors. Eventually, I developed insomnia.

“I grew deeply paranoid and began to wonder who else in my life had hurt me or had taken advantage of me without my knowledge.”

Defence counsel Charlotte Newell KC said there was a period where Davidson suffered “crippling effects” of undiagnosed ADHD and was “self-medicating” with drugs and alcohol which were “readily available” in his life as a singing star.

There has been a shift in his understanding and he shows “genuine remorse” which is helped by having a stable routine in prison, being on medication for his conditions, in a long-term relationship and with a supportive family, she said.

After the hearing Shikha Verma, the senior crown prosecutor at CPS London, described Davidson as “a predatory sex offender who targeted multiple victims over a number of years”.

She added: “I want to pay tribute to the victims for their immense courage in supporting the prosecution and Davidson has now been held accountable for his horrific crimes.”