A self-proclaimed evangelical pastor who was a key member of one of Western Australia's most depraved paedophile rings has quietly left the country after being released from prison.
The 'Man of God' and His Heinous Crimes
South African-born Dawid (David) Volmer, 51, was part of the notorious 'Evil 8' network dismantled by police a decade ago. The case centred on a father who, for two years, trafficked his own daughter to strangers he met online while she was aged between 11 and 13.
Volmer, a father of two who led church services from his Banksia Grove home and a community centre north of Perth, admitted to a series of horrific offences. He pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including raping the girl and stupefying her with amyl nitrate on three separate occasions in 2014 and 2015, often with her father present.
In November 2015, he was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison, with a minimum term of eight and a half years. The Daily Mail can reveal Volmer was paroled in 2024 and subsequently left Australia. It remains unclear if he was deported—a common outcome for foreign nationals serving over 12 months—or departed voluntarily.
A Twisted Web of Exploitation
The pastor's crimes began when the victim's father responded to an advert Volmer had placed on Craigslist offering sexual massages. They first met in a park, where the father falsely claimed his daughter was 16; she was just 12. Volmer later told police he "knew in his heart" this was untrue but proceeded regardless.
The abuse escalated at a city hotel in early 2014, where Volmer massaged the naked, drugged girl as her father watched. A later encounter saw Volmer enter the family's unlocked Perth home to find the girl naked and blindfolded on a bed, where he raped her while her blindfolded father remained in the room.
During sentencing, Perth District Court Judge Mark Herron labelled the abuse "depraved" and said Volmer must have known the child was being pressured. Despite this, the judge noted Volmer's early guilty plea, cooperation, and apparent remorse.
Outside court, Volmer's lawyer, Nick Scerri, stated his client's attempts to apologise felt "empty and powerless." Scerri said, "He's tried to find the words to say sorry, but no matter what he says the words feel empty and powerless."
The Legacy of the 'Evil 8' and a Victim's Trauma
The 'Evil 8' ring, exposed in 2015 after a public tip-off, is considered among the state's worst child exploitation cases. Seven men, including the girl's father and Volmer, were convicted. Police seized thousands of videos and millions of indecent images in raids across WA.
The other convicted members were:
- The father (unnamed to protect his daughter): Sentenced to 22.5 years for over 200 charges, including sexual penetration of a child under 13. Eligible for parole in 2037.
- Ryan Trevor Clegg: Jailed for 12 years and 9 months for sexual penetration and distributing abuse material.
- Nicholas Adam Beer: Received a 7-year sentence for abusing the girl while she was shackled and wearing bondage gear.
- Troy Phillip Milbourne: Sentenced to 5 years and 3 months; released on parole in December 2018.
- Benjamin Simon Clarke: A photographer jailed for 3 years for indecently recording the girl.
- Alfred John Impicciatore: The only member to plead not guilty; found guilty and sentenced to 9.5 years. His 2024 parole bid was rejected.
An eighth man was investigated for contact with the father but was not charged in this case; he was later jailed for offences against other children.
The case reveals a profound betrayal, with the victim's father described by an appeal judge as having "effectively sold his daughter without money." Volmer's departure closes a chapter, but the trauma inflicted on the young girl, now a woman, endures.
