Latest Offenders

Description

Sunderland man jailed after undercover sting and discovery of serious child abuse images

Martin Thompson, 42, from Sunderland, has been jailed for three and a half years after being caught trying to meet a child for sex and possessing a large collection of indecent images of children.

Thompson was ensnared by an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old boy on Snapchat. He first made contact in April 2025 and, over the following weeks, sent increasingly sexually graphic messages. Police arrested him in June 2025.

Officers found 220 indecent images of children on his phone and tablet, 134 of them in the most serious category. Some images were of the “most foul and unspeakably depraved” nature, Judge Thomas Moran told Newcastle Crown Court, involving children as young as five months old and a video of a baby being raped.

Thompson had also been communicating with other offenders online. He sent five of the most serious images to others and received material in return. He told one contact he was “into 13 and under.”

Thompson was previously jailed in 2005 for indecently assaulting a girl and was subject to a sexual offences prevention order that banned unsupervised contact with anyone under 16. His attempt to meet someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy amounted to a “very serious breach” of that order, the court heard, as it appeared he intended to have sex with a child.

He admitted seven offences, including attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was assessed as posing a “high risk of serious harm to children.” Thompson must sign the sex offender register and comply with a new sexual harm prevention order.

Description

Kenneth Barnes jailed after further child image offences

A County Durham man given a suspended sentence last November for possessing indecent images of children has been jailed after committing further similar offences while being managed in the community.

Kenneth Barnes, 50, of Charles Street, Easington Colliery, was sentenced at Durham Crown Court to 15 months in prison. That total includes six months activated from a 10-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, imposed in November after he admitted possessing indecent images of children in all three categories of severity. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and sex offender registration, both for 10 years.

Prosecutor Ralf Xhepa said Barnes was being managed by police and the Probation Service as “a high-risk offender.” On 17 February his risk manager and a digital officer attended his home and seized his mobile phone. Examination found he had downloaded further indecent images of children.

He was arrested on 17 April. In interview he only accepted that the phone was his. Mr Xhepa said that between the November conviction and the February seizure Barnes downloaded a further 80 indecent images, including 13 in the most serious category.

After initial denials, Barnes admitted three further counts of making indecent images of children in late July.

Chris Morrison, defending, said Barnes had completed an overnight home curfew and 10 rehabilitation activity sessions under the November sentence. The phone seized in the earlier investigation had later been returned to him. “He continued to use it, something he’s very remorseful about and, when it was explained to me, the return of the device was, perhaps, ill-advised.”

Mr Morrison said Barnes had struggled with his circumstances and lived “a very solitary and isolated life in Easington.” He added that Barnes had found it difficult on remand since April.

Recorder Mark McKone imposed the 15-month sentence and warned that any further similar offending could lead to an extended prison term. Barnes remains subject to the SHPO and notification requirements imposed in November.

Description

An Ilkeston man has been jailed for more than two decades for sexually abusing three children.

Ralph Fletcher, 35, of Barclay Court, Ilkeston was found guilty of 14 sexual offences against the children during a trial in May this year.

The offences included rape, assault by penetration, and sexual touching.

Ronald Fletcher, 37, of Welwyndale Road, Sutton Coldfield was also found guilty of two counts of sexual touching against one of the children, during the same trial.

A third defendant, Zoe Upchurch, 30, of Walpole Street, Derby was found guilty of four counts of child cruelty.

All three were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on 20 August.

Ralph Fletcher was jailed for 24 years, and Ronald Fletcher was jailed for five years.

The pair were also handed lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Upchurch was handed a three-year community order, with rehabilitation requirements.

All three were also given lifetime restraining orders in respect of the three children.

Detective Constable, Natalie Fletcher, officer in the case said:

“I want to thank the three victims in this case who have been unbelievably brave in telling us what happened to them.

“This courage, alongside the support of other witnesses, has meant that we have been able to seek justice and ensure that those responsible were held publicly accountable for their despicable crimes.

“The sentence handed to Ralph Fletcher who was the ringleader of this abuse, is telling of what a dangerous individual he is.

“Nothing can take away the trauma that Ralph and Ronald Fletcher, and Zoe Upchurch inflicted upon the victims, but I hope that they can go on to rebuild their lives in peace.”

Description

We are appealing for help to find James Hands who is reported to have absconded from HMP North Sea Camp in Boston.

The 38-year-old from Nottingham was reported missing from the open prison during the early hours of today (1 September).

Hands is a convicted sex offender and is currently serving a sentence in relation to stalking and harassment.

Hands has a neck tattoo of JD, an MM tattoo on his right hand, “Shae” tattoo on his left hand and a dog tattoo on the back of his leg.

DCI Jesee Karanga quote:

“We are urgently seeking the help of the public to find 38-year-old James Hands, who absconded from North Sea Camp at some point last night (31 August). This man is a convicted sex offender who poses a risk of causing harm to the community.

“While he has absconded from Boston, he could be anywhere in the county, and we would encourage people to remain vigilant. We are deploying the necessary resources to locate and apprehend Hands. If you see him, please do not approach him, but instead report is to us by calling 999.”

Incident 11 of today

Description

A paedophile has been jailed after exchanging sexual images with a 13-year-old girl.

Ardian Mason, aged 28, came to the attention of Nottinghamshire Police after uploading indecent images over an online messaging app.

After his arrest on 3 December 2024, Mason told officers he'd seen 'child porn' content on the app but said his account was no longer active.

He later admitted to possessing links containing indecent images of children and to transferring them to a secure folder.

Officers accessed the content after forensically examining Mason's mobile phone and discovered more than 1,000 Category A child sexual abuse images, each depicting the most serious sexual abuse that can be committed against children and babies.

They also uncovered more than 1,000 Category B and C images, along with more than 100 extreme pornographic images of adults, some depicting acts with animals.

Officers also discovered a series of images and chats involving the same teenage girl, who they were later able to identify and safeguard.

Damningly, Mason had sent some of the images to a woman he had met online using an assumed name.

Mason, of London Road, Retford, later pleaded guilty to:

• six counts of causing/inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity
• two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child
• five counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child
• possessing an indecent photograph of a child
• and possessing an extreme pornographic image

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday 26 August, he was given an extended 12-year sentence - nine in custody and three years on extended licence.

He was also handed a restraining order banning him from any further contact with his victim, and was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order that will tightly restrict his internet use and his access to children.

Detective Constable Sarah Stonley, of the Internet Child Sexual Exploitation Team, said:

"Mason is a predatory and calculating offender who poses a clear risk to children.

"During his arrest, he referred to having seen what he referred to as 'CP' or 'child pornography'.

"In reality there is no such thing, because what we are talking about here is the sexual assault and rape of babies and children by adults.

"Mason had already committed a series of very serious offences in amassing such a large collection of this child sexual abuse material.

"However, in enticing a girl to engage in sexual activity in the way he did, he committed even more serious offences for which he will spend a very significant period of time in prison.

"I hope this sentence serves as a warning to others about the consequences of this depraved behaviour."

Description

A man has been given a nine-year sentence for a number of domestic abuse related offences against four women, including the rape of one of his victims.

Joshua Turner, of Hadley in Telford, was handed the sentence at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Friday (28 August) after previously pleading guilty to rape, grievous bodily harm, perverting the course of justice and two counts of coercive control.

The court heard how the 31-year-old subjected his victims to years of abuse while in relationships with them. 

The judge was told how Turner kicked one of the women in her stomach when she was pregnant. He also broke her arm during a separate argument and refused to call an ambulance, threatening her not to tell anyone how she had received the injury.

Another victim said how she was not allowed to see her family and friends, and at the start at their relationship Turner would bombard her with phone calls while she was out with friends. 

A third victim bravely reported to police that Turner had raped her, which in a victim impact statement read out to the judge said it causes her to have flashbacks.

A fourth woman told the judge how she reported Turner's abuse to police and while she was in the police station he called her 50 times. In a statement also read out in court she told the judge Turner continued to contact her via letters and phone calls while on remand in prison threatening her to drop the charges. 

In June 2025 Turner pleaded guilty to coercive control, and perverting the cause of justice. Then in October 2025 on the first day of his trial for the other two offences he pleaded guilty to rape, coercive control and grievous bodily harm.

Turner was then remanded in custody to await sentencing, which took place on Friday (28 August) where he was handed a nine-year sentence, with a further two years to be served on an extended licence.

The judge also ordered Turner to be placed on a sexual harm prevention order, which now means he must inform police of any new relationships. He was also given a restraining order against each victim, meaning he cannot contact them.

Detective Sergeant Becky Jasper said:

"Turner subjected four women to sustained and controlling abuse over a number of years, causing significant physical and emotional harm. His actions were cruel, manipulative and have had a lasting impact on each of his victims.

"I would like to commend the bravery of the women who came forward and reported Turner's offending. We know how difficult it can be for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence to speak to police, particularly when they have been subjected to threats, coercion and controlling behaviour.

"Thanks to their courage, Turner has been held accountable for his crimes and is now facing a significant prison sentence. I hope this outcome provides reassurance that reports of domestic abuse and sexual offences will be taken seriously, and that we will do everything we can to support victims and bring offenders to justice."

Description

A 60-year-old registered sex offender has been jailed after he was found to be breaching the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Roland Geoffrey Dyson, previously of William Street, Kettering, was issued with a SHPO in 2016 following his conviction for sexually assaulting a girl under 13.

The SHPO was issued with certain conditions he was required to abide by, including not having any contact with any girls under 16 unless their parents/guardians were aware of his conviction and gave permission.

However, on February 18, when officers from Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO Team made an unannounced visit to Dyson’s home, they found a photo of a child on his mobile phone whose mother he had recently made friends with.

Subsequent enquiries revealed that not only had Dyson not informed social services of the contact as he was required to, but he had also not told the girl’s mother about his previous convictions.

He was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of breaching his SHPO.

After pleading guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court in April, Dyson returned to the same court on August 14 where he was sentenced to one year and nine months.

Lead investigator - PC Kayleigh Rock, from the Force’s MOSOVO team, said:

“Sexual Harm Prevention Orders are put in place to protect children and vulnerable people, and we will take robust action against anyone who fails to comply with them.

“Dyson was fully aware of the restrictions imposed on him and the reasons why they were in place, yet he chose to disregard those conditions. Thanks to the vigilance and proactive work of our MOSOVO officers, these breaches were identified and investigated thoroughly.

“This sentence demonstrates that breaches of SHPOs are taken extremely seriously by both the police and the courts. We remain committed to monitoring registered sex offenders and doing everything we can to safeguard our communities.”

Description

Convicted child sex offender Darron Wilkinson avoided activation of a two-year suspended prison sentence after breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by travelling to Dublin for work without notifying police, claiming he did not realise the Republic of Ireland is not part of the UK.

Wilkinson, 51, of Portmeads Rise, Birtley, appeared at Durham Crown Court on 28 August 2026. He had already been given a last chance in May after admitting he failed to give police seven days’ notice of four long-haul delivery trips to Dublin between 21 January and 13 April.

The two-year suspended sentence was imposed at Newcastle Crown Court in August 2025 after he pleaded guilty to three offences arising from sexualised communication with what he believed was a 12-year-old girl on an online chat site. He suggested travelling to Coventry for a sexual liaison. The “girl” was an undercover police officer. He was also made subject to a ten-year SHPO and ten-year sex offender registration.

At the May hearing, when he lived at Victoria Terrace, Trimdon Colliery, Recorder Mark McKone told him: “It seems to me you put your work before this court order.” Sentence was deferred until 27 November on condition of no further breaches. Bail conditions that had cost Wilkinson his job were lifted so he could try to return to work.

He was back before the same court after an undeclared iPhone was found when he was arrested on 26 April. The phone had been in his possession for six weeks. The court heard that breach pre-dated the May appearance.

Recorder McKone said he would again give Wilkinson “the benefit of the doubt”, as he had when “you went to the Republic of Ireland, believing it was still part of the UK.”

Dan Wilberforce, defending, said the problem was Wilkinson’s “understanding of the order”, made worse by partial literacy and that he “struggles with documentation.”

The Recorder said: “Between January 21 and April 13 this year you went to Dublin four times and, when you left, you were required to give seven days’ notice to the police. It’s your case you didn’t realise the Republic of Ireland is not part of the UK.”

Wilkinson was fined £50. The deferred sentence remains in place until 27 November.

Recorder McKone told him: “My advice to you is, if in doubt, ask your probation officer to check you are not further breaching the order.”

Description

Detectives have appealed for further victim-survivors to come forward after a martial arts instructor was jailed for sexual offending

Anthony Swanson, 75 (19.05.1951), of Wren Road, Sidcup, subjected a girl, who was then in her early teens, to repeated sexual abuse in the mid-2000s.

He was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, 7 July of 15 counts including charges of rape, sexual activity with a child and indecent assault. Swanson was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment at the same court on Friday, 28 August.

A Met investigation was launched after the victim-survivor came forward in February 2022 to report the abuse.

She detailed meeting the defendant through martial arts lessons that he ran from a church hall in Beckenham. The classes were run by the organisation Swanson founded in 1995, the Taoist Arts Organisation.

Swanson groomed her, before going on to sexually abuse and rape her on repeated occasions. This included one incident when he raped her during a residential martial arts trip to Bath, Somerset.

The abuse lasted around three years.

She was also abused in the presence of her mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The mother pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court on 25 September 2024 to three counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child. She was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years at the same court on Friday, 28 August.

As part of the investigation, detectives conducted video recorded interviews with the victim-survivor and took dozens of statements as they built a compelling case against Swanson. He was interviewed twice by officers, on each occasion denying that he had done anything wrong.

In an impact statement read to the court at Swanson’s sentencing hearing, the victim-survivor said:

"When the abuse initially stopped, I locked it away in my mind and tried to forget and ignore what had happened. It was too traumatic.

"I came to realise through therapy that what he did happened, and that will never change. I will always have to live with the horrific acts of abuse he put me through.

"I am scared to bring children into the world knowing they could be hurt, abused or damaged at the hands of a paedophile like Tony Swanson, like I was.

"Swanson knows what he did to me and always has. He decided to abuse me again by pleading not guilty. He says I tried to ruin him. He has ruined me and shown no remorse."

Detective Constable Leonora Simpson, of the Metropolitan Police, said:

“What happened to this young girl was awful. Anthony Swanson is an evil predator who thought nothing of taking advantage of the position of trust he held to carry out this vile campaign of sexual abuse.

“Based on the gravity of Swanson’s offending, we believe he may have other victims who have yet to come forward.

“We know that Swanson began teaching children’s martial arts classes in the Beckenham and Sidcup area in the early 2000s. He led residential trips to the West Country and Inverness in Scotland.

“I am appealing to potential victims to come forward and speak to us about what happened. Any information will be treated extremely sensitively, and you will be supported by specialist officers.”

Swanson was found guilty of:

• four counts of rape,
• four counts of indecent assault,
• three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child,
• one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and
• three counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Description

A rapist has been jailed for 2 decades after a brutal assault in Gravesend.

At a petrol station on City Way, Rochester on Saturday 18 October 2025, Louis Taylor’s injured and shaken victim asked members of public to call police.

Officers attended and took the victim into their care. Taylor was arrested the same day.

Attack

She disclosed how the 32 year old had assaulted her, grabbing her hair and neck and dragging her around a room. He also kicked her repeatedly while wearing steel toe capped boots, punched her and hit her with a hoover pole causing significant injuries.

Taylor then sexually assaulted and raped the victim.

After this ordeal, he ordered her into a car and threatened to harm her if she ‘made a sound’. Driving into Rochester, it was only when he had to stop at a petrol station that she could alert anyone.

Investigation

Taylor was arrested promptly and, whilst in custody, an investigation was launched during which the victim was supported by a specially trained sexual offences liaison officer.

Further enquiries uncovered more offences, namely a previous rape and an assault. 

Court

Louis Taylor pleaded guilty to 8 charges, specifically three counts of rape, wounding with intent, assault by penetration, burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, attempted grievous bodily harm and kidnapping.

Further charges, including intentional suffocation, sexual assault and assault, will lie on file.

At Woolwich Crown Court on Friday 21st August 2026, Taylor, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He has also been placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Serious danger

Investigating officer Detective Constable Rachel Ford said:

‘Taylor’s horrific offending clearly shows how he is a serious danger to women and to society as a whole.

‘The severity of his sentence reflects that of his crimes as well as the trauma he has caused his victim.

‘The judge commended the victim's bravery, and she has shown immense courage in providing key evidence which enabled justice to be served.

‘Kent Police is committed to ensuring all victims of violence against women and girls receive vital support and we will always seek to hold offenders to account.  

‘In this case I am satisfied Taylor is behind bars where he cannot continue to cause any further harm like that of which he has already inflicted.’

Description

A man has been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for the sexual abuse he committed more than three decades ago.  

Philip Watson, now 60 years old, sexually assaulted three schoolboys on separate occasions between across the 1990s. 

The abuse was committed in the Sunderland and Northumberland areas when Watson was employed as a teaching assistant. 

The offences were reported to have occurred on the school bus, the school showers, as well as at a summer camp organised by the school.  

Watson was previously jailed for six years in 2017 after committing a string of child sex offences against three other boys linked to the same employment role.  

Those charges included five counts of indecent assault on a male, one sexual assault, and one sexual assault on a child under the age of 13. 

As part of his previous sentence, he was ordered to spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders’ Register and was handed a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). 

Two subsequent investigations around Watson’s offending were launched when three further victim-survivors came forward to report the same type of abuse. 

Watson was interviewed by officers in connection with the new allegations but denied any form of wrongdoing. 

However, in July 2024 and then again in January last year, Watson was charged with a total of four counts of indecent assault – being that the offences took place before the Sexual Offences Act was introduced in 2003. 

Last week, Watson, of Beach Road, of South Shields, stood trial at Newcastle Crown Court, where he was found guilty of all four offences.  

Yesterday (Thursday), he attended Newcastle Crown Court where he was sentenced to seven years in prison.  

He will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and his lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) will continue to be in place.  

Leading the investigation from Northumbria Police was Police Constable Colin Ramshaw. 

Speaking after Watson’s sentencing hearing, he said:

“The effects of Philip Watson’s offending have proven to have lasted a lifetime for the victim-survivors he abused. 

“Even though these offences occurred decades ago, it’s clear the damage he has caused has not diminished with time. 

“Watson has consistently refused to take accountability to what he did to these boys -now men - and I am pleased that they’ve been able to hold their abuser to account after all this time.” 

Pol Con Ramshaw added:

“I hope this case acts as a reminder to those who think they can rest easy because the offences happened years ago – we will find you and we will put you before the courts. 

“To victim-survivors who are unsure about coming forward, I want to assure you that there is no time limit on justice. 

“Whether the offences happened days, weeks, months, years or even decades ago, please tell us – we’re here for you.” 

Description

A registered sex offender who continued to access sexual abuse images of children has been jailed.

Peter Howard, 36, was subject to a suspended prison sentence imposed for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

But as part of monitoring by Sussex Police’s VISOR team, he was found to be in possession of an internet enabled device which was a breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Howard had also used X.com to search for and to view indecent images of children.

This included seeing content which depicted category A, B and C images of sexual abuse on the platform.

At interview, Howard claimed he was searching for sexual images of children, but then accepted he had viewed the sexual abuse images.

He has previous convictions, including serving a prison sentence in 2021 of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

At Lewes Crown Court on 12 August, Howard, of Wallace Avenue, Worthing, admitted breaching a suspended sentence, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and three counts of making or distributing indecent images of children. He was jailed for two years and two months.

The court was told how Howard was made the subject of a suspended sentence for attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and was subject to ongoing monitoring.

Detective Inspector Debbie Ricks said:

“Our officers carry out regular monitoring of the activities of registered sex offenders to ensure they are complying with their requirements.

“It can include registered offenders ensuring they notify police of devices, such as mobile phones, they are in possession on.

“This case demonstrates that we will take action against those who are in breach of court orders designed to protect the public from further harm.

“Howard failed to comply with these court orders, and he is now serving a custodial sentence.”

Description

A man who strangled and raped a woman in Crewe has been jailed.

Fikadu Yemane was sentenced to eight years imprisonment at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 27 August following a ten-day trial, in which he was found guilty of one count of rape and intentional strangulation.

Yemane, who is of Castleton Walk, Manchester, but originally from Eritrea, was also ordered to sign on to the Sex Offender’s Register indefinitely.

The case began on 16 July 2025 when the 29-year-old met the victim, a 19-year-old woman, in Manchester after arranging to meet via social media. The pair were known to each other and had agreed to travel to an address in Crewe alongside another man on the day of the offence.

At the address in Crewe, Yemane waited until it was just him and the victim alone in the property before forcing her into a bedroom, removing her clothing and going on to rape her. During the assault, he put his hand over the victim’s mouth and strangled her to the point that she nearly passed out, with visible marks being left on her neck as a result.

The second man later returned and pulled the 29-year-old off the victim, allowing her to escape and to call for help.

Yemane fled the scene on foot before officers arrived who quickly located and safeguarded the victim – he remained on the run for six days before being located and arrested in Manchester.

During this period, Yemane made active attempts to cover his tracks and evade police by changing the SD card in his phone.

In interview, Yemane told officers that, despite not engaging in sex, everything that had occurred between him and the victim had been consensual.

Enquiries at the address where the offence occurred had resulted in a condom with traces of both Yemane’s and the victim’s DNA being recovered in a wheelie bin. The victims’ underwear was also located in the same bin.

Detective Constable Jaymie Johnson said:

“Fikadu Yemane’s behaviour was downright predatory. He took advantage of a vulnerable victim, who thought she was with someone she could trust, before going on to rape her and cause her serious injury when she bravely fought back against him.

“Even when he was faced with evidence that directly linked him to the crime, that he had made active attempts to dispose of, Yemane caused further suffering to victim by forcing her to relive the ordeal all over again during his subsequent ten-day trail.

“With that in mind, I am glad that the jury have reached a guilty verdict on both counts and Yemane has been handed a significant custodial sentence. I do hope that now this case has reached its conclusion, the victim can be provided with a much-needed sense of closure and can begin to move forward with her life, knowing justice has been secured and her attacker has been held to account. I commend her for her bravery throughout the entire investigation.

“Even upon Yemane’s eventual release from custody, he will remain the subject of the Sex Offender’s Register, meaning he will be monitored by specialist officers for the remainder of his life, ensuring that he never causes harm to another person.”

Description

A child sex offender from Stoke-on-Trent has been jailed for 10 years.

30-year-old Matthew Dunn, of Bentilee, was jailed today at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court (Friday 28 August) after he admitted one count of the rape of a girl and three counts of sexual assault of a girl.

The offences were reported to us in 2022, prompting an investigation by our public protection unit (PPU).

Officers worked tirelessly to build all of the available evidence against Dunn and to support the survivors in the case, which ultimately led to him pleading guilty to his crimes in court.

Now, Dunn is facing a decade in prison. He has also been given an indefinite restraining order against both survivors and has been served an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Josie Coxon, from PPU, investigated the case. She said:

“Thanks to the bravery of the survivors in this case, Dunn was not able to escape his crimes and has rightfully been put behind bars.

“We are working proactively, night and day, to identify those responsible for these offences and to take robust action to prevent harm in our communities.”

Description

A man has been jailed for raping a 16-year-old girl, as well as brutally assaulting her during a period of six weeks last year.

Callan Hennessey (24/12/03), of Ferndene Road, Manchester, has been jailed for nine-and-a-half-years after pleading guilty to assault, strangulation, the creation of indecent images, and a further assault. He was found guilty of one count of rape.

He received his sentence today (27 August) at Manchester Crown Court.

The investigation began in April 2025, when a relative of the victim of Hennessey contacted the police, after the girl, then 16, had attended hospital with injuries including two black eyes, bleeding to her ear, a swollen jaw and other abrasions to her head and face.

Following extensive enquiries over the following weeks, which also saw Hennessey arrested, officers found that he had assaulted and raped the girl, with her injuries drawing the attention of family members.

When officers attended an address on 8 April 2025, officers discovered bedsheets covered in his victim’s blood. Hennessey was also seen to have himself had blood on him by a relative following the incident.

Hennessey plead guilty to assault and strangulation, while being found guilty of rape following a trial. The rape occurred several weeks before the assault in April.

He will also now be subject to an indefinite restraining order and will be placed on the sex offender's register for life.

Hennessey’s victim has supported the investigation throughout and bravely told officers about the crimes inflicted on her.

Detective Constable James Carter, from GMP’s City of Manchester CID, said: 

“Firstly, I want to pay tribute to the victim in this case – this is something no-one should ever have to go through and her bravery and resilience has been remarkable.

“Hennessey violently attacked someone who is several years younger than him - a child - leaving her in a bloodied and terrified state following the incident. His vile actions, including rape and strangulation, now mean he is rightfully behind bars where he belongs.

“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of any similar crimes to please get in touch – we will do what we can to help you and work to get you the justice you deserve.”