The Deceptive Life of David Davis: How a Fisherman’s Discovery Unraveled an International Con Man

In the early hours of a quiet morning off the coast of Brixham, Devon, two fishermen prepared for another day at sea. Their initial haul was disappointing, prompting them to venture six miles further into an area rarely fished, known locally as the Roughs. It was there, as they hauled in their nets, that they made a shocking discovery: a man’s body entangled with the fish. This seemingly tragic accident would become the starting point of a sprawling investigation into deception, stolen identities, and murder.

The body was in remarkably good condition, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, trousers, and brown shoes, with no identification. The man wore a Rolex watch, which would ultimately prove crucial in uncovering his identity. Postmortem examinations revealed several injuries, including a deep gash on the head, though initial assumptions suggested he may have fallen from a boat. The only distinctive mark was a tattoo on the back of his right hand, initially thought to be a cluster of stars.

It was the Rolex that gave detectives a breakthrough. By contacting Rolex in London, police discovered the watch had been serviced multiple times for a man named Ronald Joseph Platt. Further investigation traced Platt to a residence in Essex, where he had been renting a property. A personal referee connected to Platt, a man named David Davis, became a person of interest. But when police eventually visited Davis, a shocking truth emerged: Davis was not merely a friend of the deceased; he was living a double life, impersonating Ronald Platt.

What began as an apparent drowning quickly revealed itself as a complex case of identity theft and deception. Davis, charming and engaging, had befriended Platt and drawn him and his partner, Elaine Boyce, into his web of schemes. Davis presented himself as a successful businessman, establishing a company called Cavendish Corporation, offering Platt and Elaine directorships, and promising wealth and opportunities abroad. He claimed he avoided putting his name on company documents to protect his assets from a wealthy ex-wife, a story both convincing and carefully constructed.

Elaine recalled meeting Davis five years earlier at a quiet Fine Art auctioneer’s office in Harrogate. Tall, broad, and extremely persuasive, Davis quickly built a rapport, speaking knowledgeably about antiques, painting, and investments. By the end of their meeting, he had offered Elaine a job, promising financial support for her dream of moving to Canada. Davis’s charisma and apparent generosity quickly won the trust of both Elaine and Platt, who were drawn into his business ventures, traveling across Europe to supposedly scout properties and establish the company.

Despite his outward charm and apparent religious devotion—regularly attending the local Baptist Church—Davis’s actions belied a more sinister agenda. He introduced Platt and Elaine to a life of apparent opportunity, including a Christmas gift in 1992: tickets to Canada if they moved by February 1993. While Elaine struggled to settle in Canada, with financial hardships and the harsh winter taking their toll, Davis pressured them to comply with his plans, including the use of rubber stamps of their signatures to facilitate his business dealings in their absence.

As Elaine returned home within months, Davis’s manipulations and the financial schemes he had orchestrated began to surface. Meanwhile, the investigation into Platt’s death was far from over. The discovery of his body, combined with the revelation that Davis had assumed Platt’s identity, triggered a two-year, international inquiry covering thousands of miles and multiple countries. Key pieces of evidence, such as an anchor inadvertently preserved from the fishing nets, helped authorities piece together the puzzle.

Davis’s deceit was as meticulous as it was audacious. He had cultivated an image of respectability, appearing trustworthy and benevolent to those around him while systematically exploiting friends and associates. His charm masked his criminality, allowing him to manipulate Platt and Elaine into a web of lies, money transfers, and ultimately, murder.

The case underscores the dangerous allure of charisma and the extreme lengths some individuals will go to construct alternate lives. What began as a fisherman’s routine morning haul unveiled a story of fraud, stolen identity, and deception on an international scale. Ronald Platt’s death and David Davis’s duplicity serve as a chilling reminder that appearances can be dangerously misleading—and that even the most ordinary events can hide extraordinary crimes.