24 Hours in Police Custody fans 'haunted' after predator's prison sentence

24 Hours in Police Custody viewers were left feeling outraged after learning a predator's sentence on Monday (July 7).

The gripping Channel 4 documentary series, which delves into the high-stakes world of police work, follows detectives as they tackle serious crimes around the clock.

In the latest two-part instalment, titled Nightclub Predator, viewers got an inside look at Cambridgeshire Police's Rape Investigation team as they relentlessly pursued justice against Craig France for his heinous acts.

The case against France, 34, 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 concealed cameras and over 6,000 harrowing images and videos, reports Cambridgeshire Live.

France entered a guilty plea to charges of rape, sexual assault, voyeurism, and exposure before his trial commenced, which was accepted by the court.

His plea resulted in a reduced sentence of ten years and seven months, sparking controversy among those affected.

"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," one of France's victims said.

Detective Chief Inspector Helen Tebbit added: "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.

Another added: "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