Moment pedophile grins as young boy sits on his lap in Thailand holiday video as he faces 27 years in prison after abusing children over 20 years

This is the chilling moment a grinning pedophile said: ‘We’re having a good time’ as a young boy sat on his lap during a holiday in Thailand.

David Marsh, 74, was today sentenced to 27 years in prison for grooming and sexually abusing boys aged between six and nine in the 1980s and 1990s.

Shown at his trial was the shocking video, which was filmed by a bare-chested Marsh after he approached a group of boys during a trip to Thailand.

You hear him say ‘we are all having a good time’ as he takes one of the children on his lap.

He and fellow pedophile Anthony Whitehead, 72, were found guilty of 35 historic sexual offenses in October after brave survivors spoke out.

The pair preyed on six vulnerable boys in Rochdale, Bolton and Manchester in the 1980s and 1990s, grooming them with cigarettes, alcohol and money.

Marsh and Whitehead “threw away” the abused boys, leaving them with years of trauma and pain as they continued their seemingly “normal” lives.

One of the victims spoke of a feeling of ‘knee-deep shame’, with most – if not all – harboring a distrust of authority, including the police.

David Marsh, now 74, filmed himself with a young boy on his lap in Thailand

Marsh (right) and fellow pedophile Anthony Whitehead, 72, have now been found guilty of 35 historical sexual offenses

Marsh was today sentenced to 27 years at Manchester Crown Court, while Whitehead was jailed for seven years.

Both men, who did not know each other and carried out separate campaigns of abuse, must serve at least two-thirds of their sentences before being eligible for parole.

Their conviction is the culmination of a arduous five-year investigation that began in 2019, after one of the survivors confided to a person in authority that he had been sexually abused by Marsh as a boy.

Detectives from Greater Manchester Police’s Rochdale’s Complex Safeguarding Team then worked painstakingly to identify any other survivors.

Detective Inspector Andrea Richards, who has worked on this case since its inception, said: “I would like to commend the male survivors who played a vital role in bringing these abhorrent abusers to long-awaited justice.

‘It was incredibly brave of them to speak out about their abuse during a difficult and painful process they had to go through.

“These depraved men are exactly where they need to be: in prison, away from causing further harm to our communities and the people within them.

You hear him say ‘we are all having a good time’ as he takes one of the children on his lap

Pictured: Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, where the pair were jailed

“Others may be affected by Marsh and Whitehead’s separate crime campaigns, and we want all survivors of sexual abuse to know that we are here to listen to them when they are ready, at a pace they are comfortable with.

‘There are also several non-police agencies that we work closely with to provide survivor support for those who would feel more comfortable with this approach.

“We continue to be on a journey of upward improvement in the way we tackle CSE – whether it is child abuse yesterday or today.

“We hope that this belief, and our continually improving outcomes for victims, will convince survivors that time will not be a barrier to justice.”