Latest Offenders

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Sami Aharroud, 74, has been jailed for 10 years for a rape committed more than 20 years ago.

His offence came to light when the victim bravely come forward in 2022.

Aharroud, from Splott, Cardiff, denied rape but was found guilty following a trial at Newport Crown Court  in July 2026.

He was sentenced at Merthyr Crown Court on October 12, 2026, to 10 years in prison with an additional three years extended license.

He continues to be subject a Restraining Order and Sexual Harm Prevention Order to further protect the victim.

Officer in the case, Detective Sergeant Stacey Bolton from South Wales Police, said:

“The victim has shown tremendous strength throughout the process, having lived with the impact of Aharroud’s actions for over twenty years before feeling ready to contact police.

“She then supported a protracted investigation and bravely, with the support of family, attended court where she read out a Victim Impact Statement.

“We hope the outcome gives some peace of mind that justice has finally been done, and she has our very best wishes as she continues to heal from this whole ordeal.

“This case is yet another example of why it is never too late for victims of sexual offences to come forward.”

Description

A man has been jailed for 12 years for a series of non-recent sexual and violent offences in Edinburgh.

Ian Whyte, 62, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday, 21 October, 2026.

He has also been placed on the sex offenders register.

He had previously been found guilty of the offences, including rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and assault, at the same court on Wednesday, 2 September.

The offences were committed between December 1978 and May 1998, against victims aged from an infant to 15-years-old.

Following an extensive investigation, he was arrested and charged by officers.

Detective Inspector Steph Garnett said:

“This was a complex investigation and our thoughts are with the victims. I hope the sentence helps them to come to terms with the abuse they suffered.

“Whyte will now face the consequences of his despicable actions.

“Police Scotland takes all reports of sexual abuse seriously. Regardless of the passage of time, we will investigate and bring those responsible to justice.

“We remain committed to supporting victims of sexual crime and protecting children from harm and abuse.

“I would urge anyone who is a victim of abuse to speak to police in the knowledge you will be listened to, taken seriously and fully supported.”

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A man from Neath Port Talbot has been jailed after he was found guilty of rape.

44-year-old Damien Samuel, from Port Talbot, carried out the attack against a female victim in December 2022.

Samuel pleaded not guilty to one count of rape in March 2025, but was found guilty in September following a trial at Swansea Crown Court.

He has now been sentenced to eight years in prison. He has been handed a 20-year restraining order against the victim and will be on the sex offenders register for life. 

Detective Constable Ryan Blackburn said:

“Damien Samuel took advantage of his victim before asking her to keep quiet about what he had done – clear proof that he knew that his actions were illegal.

“The victim has shown tremendous bravery in quickly coming forward and reporting what Damien Samuel did to police. A thorough investigation has then taken place, which has resulted in a guilty verdict.

“To anyone else who has been a victim of a sexual offence – this case should be an encouraging example that reporting what happened to police will result in any perpetrator being brought to justice.”

Description

A child sex offender has been sentenced to 18 years in prison plus a further six years on extended licence after pleading guilty to 17 charges including rape.

Edward Howard, 34, of Warren Road, Torquay, appeared at Exeter Crown Court for sentence on Thursday 22 October, after pleading guilty at a hearing on Thursday 20 August.

Of the 17 charges, four were against the same victim - rape of a girl under 13, two counts of attempted assault by penetration of girl under 13, making an indecent photograph of a child.

He also pleaded guilty to:

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category A

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category B

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category C

Three counts of distributing an indecent image of a child, one for Category A, one for Category B and one for Category C.

Possession of extreme pornography.

Three counts of sexual communication with a child.

Howard was first arrested in December 2025 when information was received that he had uploaded indecent images of children to the internet.

Further examination of his mobile phone revealed a large quantity of indecent images of children of each category.

Evidence was located on the device of sexual communications with three children.

It also contained images that he had taken himself of one victim.

The victim later disclosed that he had sexually assaulted her on more than one occasion.

Following the sentencing, officer in the case Detective Constable Ryan McGregor said:

“This was a complex and disturbing investigation led by the Devon and Cornwall Paedophile Online Investigation Team.

“It showcases the importance of building a strong case through tenacious work and providing as much evidence as possible to leave the offender little alternative other than to plead guilty.

“We would like to commend the incredible courage and strength of the victim in speaking out. She has been supported by her family and specially trained officers throughout and I do not underestimate the impact this has had on her. We hope this outcome will offer some comfort to the victim and her family.

“We welcome today’s sentence. We will never stop investigating such offences to safeguard children and protect the public from those who seek to hurt children. For those tempted to engage in this type of behaviour, our message is simple: we are watching you, you will be caught, and you can expect a knock at the door from us very soon.

“We also hope this sentence will provide reassurance to other victims of sexual offending to help give them the confidence to report to us. No matter who is involved or when it happened, we will do whatever is in our power to bring offenders to justice, protect and support survivors, and enable the truth to be uncovered about these terrible crimes.”

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A man has been jailed for breaching the requirements of a Sex Offenders Order.

Mebrahtom Abrha was sentenced to six months imprisonment on Monday 19 October after being found guilty of two counts of failing to comply with the requirements of a Sex Offenders Order following a four-day trial at Chester Crown Court.

Over the course of his trail, it was heard that Abrha, who is of Grace Road, Ellesmere Port, but is originally from Eritrea, had previously been handed a 15 year sentence in 2016 after he was convicted of rape.

As part of the sentence, the 36-year-old was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life, with the requirements that he must notify police of any banking accounts he had access to or registered for.

In April 2026, shortly after his release from prison, officers from the Sex Offenders Management Unit (SOMU) visited Abrha alongside probation teams.

As part of the visit, officers examined Abrha's devices and discovered that he had two online banking apps on his mobile phone. During a subsequent search, they also found two bank cards on his person.

Checking their management systems, it was found that Abrha had not disclosed to officers that he had opened for these accounts, a clear breach of his Sex Offenders Order.

Following his arrest, the 35-year-old would tell officers that he did not understand the terms of his order as English was his second language.

This was in spite of him having conversed with police and probation teams in fluent English, previously having the requirements of the order explained to him in depth by SOMU officers and him signing the document itself confirming that he understood what was required of him.

He also went on to say he thought that he needed to register bank accounts with officers once he had set them up, deposited money into them and been sent a banking card, claiming that he would have registered them given the chance.

Constable Jones, of the Sex Offender’s Management Unit, said:

“Abrha told police that, despite being handed court order that was to remain active for the remainder of his life, he had not actually read the terms and did not understand what was required of him to keep him out prison.

"He also attempted to justify his actions by claiming he did not know that his banking accounts were active until he had deposited any money into them and was sent a physical card.

“It was this clear breach, paired with the fact that he had only just begun the licence period of his sentence, that resulted in him being promptly arrested and returned to police custody and later charged.

“Sex Offenders Orders are put in place to keep members of the public safe from dangerous offenders, and we treat any breaches with the utmost seriousness and will always take immediate action.”

Description

A man has today, Wednesday 21 October, been jailed for eight-and-a-half years after being convicted of a rape in Liverpool.

On Saturday 23 November 2024 a woman reported she had been the victim of rape at a property in Toxteth.

Following enquiries, including a CCTV appeal, a man was arrested and charged and today Mohammed Benradi, 27, a Moroccan national, of Hatherley Street, London, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing.

Detective Constable Andrew Littler of our specialist Unity Team said:

“Benradi is behind bars where he belongs and I hope his sentence will give his victim a degree of closure and allow her to move on with her life.

“If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual offence, please be assured that we have specially trained officers to guide you through the process.”

Description

A children’s gymnastics coach who was found with more than 17,000 indecent images of children has been jailed.

Aaron Strachan was arrested on suspicion of making indecent images of children in August 2024 after police received information that the 26-year-old could have indecent material on his phone.

Officers found a total of 17,147 indecent images of children on the phone, mainly of young or pre-pubescent boys.

These included 6,080 category C images, 6,028 category B images and 5,039 category A images – the most severe.

Also found on the phone were 56 group chats from a messaging app where indecent images were requested and shared, including by Strachan.

In interview, Strachan, of Robertson Way, Sapley, Huntingdon, denied any knowledge of the indecent images found on his phone.

He claimed he had no idea how the material may have got there but then suggested he may have left his phone unlocked and that someone else could have accessed it at work – despite evidence that the images were downloaded, viewed and shared at various times of the day and night over several months.

However, on the day his trial was due to begin, Strachan pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of distributing an indecent image or video.

He was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (16 October) where he was handed a total of three years and four months in prison.

He was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for 20 years, to monitor any future offending, and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Detective Constable Matthew Walshe, who investigated, said:

“Strachan was found with many indecent images of pre-pubescent boys, while working as a gymnastics coach teaching boys of a similar age.

“While none of the children in the indecent images on Strachan’s phone have been found to be children he knew or worked with, every one of those 17,147 images represents a child who was sexually abused or exploited.

“Strachan’s own safeguarding training will have taught him the horrific consequences such abuse carries for every child.

“Despite the weight of evidence and knowledge of his guilt, he pleaded not guilty to delay justice as long as possible before changing his plea at the beginning of the trial. He is a committed paedophile who is now facing the consequences of his actions, which includes never working with children again.”

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A Gillingham sex offender whose phone was searched the day he was released from prison has been jailed.

Officers made an unannounced visit to Ian Foreman’s home on The Willows on 1 July 2026 and reviewed his phone as part of a previously imposed Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The checks uncovered conversations in which the messaging platform’s ‘view once’ feature had been used multiple times, breaching a condition of his SHPO in which he can’t delete messages from his phone. He was charged with this breach on 5 August.

Second review

A further review of his mobile device took place during a scheduled meeting at Medway Police Station on Monday 18 August. Foreman, 40, admitted having met a woman for sexual activity, however no messages could be found between the two.

Enquiries showed the pair had been in communication for five days, identifying that he had deleted numerous messages.

Two more incidents of ‘one time view’ messages being used were also identified.

Foreman was consequently arrested and charged with two further breaches.

Court

He pleaded guilty to all three charges at Maidstone Crown Court in August, and appeared before the same court on Tuesday 13 October for sentencing.

Foreman was sentenced to 9 months’ imprisonment for the SHPO breaches with an additional year added for breaching a suspended sentence.

Investigating officer Police Constable Harriette Barraclough said:

‘Foreman wilfully disobeyed the restrictions that he was fully aware were in place through his SHPO.

‘These orders are in place to lower offenders’ risk to the public in general, and he has been rightly imprisoned for his persistent breaches of this safeguarding tool.

‘We hope this sentence will make him realise he cannot do as he pleases without suffering severe consequences as a result.’

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A man from Chesterton has been jailed after being found guilty of a number of sex offences committed while the victim was heavily sedated.

Following a four-day trial Benjamin Warner, 28, from Heath Street, Chesterton was found guilty of four counts of rape, assault by penetration, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and sexual assault.

Warner appeared at Liverpool Crown Court to on 20 October to be sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was also handed an indefinite restraining order in relation to the victim and required to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The incidents involved one woman in the Congleton area while she was heavily sedated and unable to consent.

DC Brett Oliver said:

“After refusing to provide his pin code for his seized mobile phone and also denying to interviewing officers that he had video recorded these offences, our Digital Forensics Unit were able to get into his mobile phone.

“Once in, I was able to find video recordings of him committing these heinous acts. Despite the evidence he refused to admit he had committed any crimes and refused to comment during his interview meaning we had to go to trial and the victim had to go through the ordeal of that.

“Thankfully the jury agreed with the evidence stacked against him and he is now facing a significant amount of time behind bars.

“I’d like to thank the victim for her bravery and hope that this conviction will help in some small way to her recovery from her horrific ordeal.”

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Vincent Maunder, 45, jailed for 12 months over SHPO breach

Registered sex offender Vincent Maunder has been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The 45-year-old, originally from Halifax, was found guilty at Isle of Wight Crown Court of using an internet-capable MSI Cyborg 15 laptop and deleting its browsing history on 2 April, in breach of restrictions imposed by Bradford Crown Court on 12 December 2024.

Maunder was arrested in Newport in April after an incident off Long Lane, charged, and remanded in custody. He had previously received suspended sentences for similar breaches before receiving a custodial sentence in December 2024. He had been released by April and travelled to the Isle of Wight.

He pleaded not guilty on 26 June but was convicted on 15 October. His Honour Judge Ashworth imposed the 12-month term, with time spent on remand to be taken into account for his release date.

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Kieran Bunday, a previously convicted child sex offender, has been jailed after sexually assaulting a teenage boy at a birthday party in Norwich.

Bunday, 38, from Southampton, Hampshire, was a guest at the party in July 2023. Norwich Crown Court heard the victim was sitting in the lounge playing on his phone when Bunday, who was “fairly drunk,” sat beside him and began rubbing his legs over his trousers, touching his thighs, groin and penis. The assault continued for three to four minutes after the boy asked him to stop. When others entered the room, Bunday behaved as if nothing had happened.

The victim later said the incident left him feeling “disgusted,” “dirty” and “horrible about myself.” In a victim impact statement, he described becoming a “shell of who I used to be,” adding that he had attempted to take his own life afterwards and only recovered “because of the support of my family.”

Bunday had previously been jailed in 2012 for two counts of rape of a child and gross indecency with a child. He admitted the new charge of sexual assault.

Judge Andrew Shaw described him as a “dangerous offender” who posed a “high risk to children of serious harm by you committing further sexual offences.” The judge imposed an extended sentence of six years, comprising three years and four months in custody followed by two years and eight months on licence.

In mitigation, Benjamin Thiele-Long said Bunday had been young at the time of his earlier offences and claimed he had “no memory” of the birthday-party assault because of his drunkenness, though he had admitted the charge and was “anxious” about the outcome.

Bunday was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order banning any contact with the victim and remains on the sex offenders’ register for life. The teenage victim cannot be identified for legal reasons.

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A “vile sex offender” who followed a teenage girl through a station and subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault has been jailed, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Bradley Warby, 41, and of Caldecote Close in Peterborough, was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday 5 October to one year and two months’ imprisonment, having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to three counts of Sexual Assault.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years, and handed a restraining order that bars him from contacting the victim.

The court heard how, on Friday 25 April, Warby was in King’s Cross railway station when he noticed a 16-year-old girl standing with her mother in a queue for coffee.

He approached them and spoke to the girl briefly before she walked away with her mother. Warby then followed them through the station, at which point the girl's mother told him that her daughter was 16.

He stopped following them, but after boarding the train to Peterborough he noticed the victim was sat by herself nearby. He beckoned for her to come over and sit with him, but she moved away.

Warby followed the girl and sat next to her, repeatedly attempting to speak to her and made sexual comments towards her.

He then repeatedly sexually assaulted her before getting off the train at Peterborough, while a concerned bystander who noticed the incident reported it to British Transport Police by texting 61016.

Detectives investigating the crime report were able to identify Warby through CCTV images, and he was arrested on 5 August. In police interview he claimed the victim had lied about the encounter.

BTP Detective Constable John Severns said:

"Bradley Warby is a vile sexual predator who singled out a teenage girl and subjected her to a horrific sexual assault.

“I hope he spends his time in prison reflecting on his criminal actions, and that his conviction grants the victim some sense of closure after what he put her through.”

Description

Gabriel Brown (formerly Aaron Wright), a registered sex offender from Carlisle, has been jailed for life after murdering a man, severing and eating his finger, and setting fire to his flat.

Brown, 35, was found guilty in July 2026 of murdering 58-year-old Joseph Ernest Johnston at the victim’s home in Annan on 19 November 2024. He stabbed Mr Johnston 22 times, cut off his ring finger, cooked and ate it, carved letters into his face, and started multiple fires in the property. He was sentenced in late August 2026 at the High Court in Glasgow to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years.

Brown had previously lived in Carlisle and was jailed in 2018 under the name Aaron (or Arron) Wright for child sex offences. He admitted four counts of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and three of causing or inciting her to engage in sexual activity, committed several years earlier in Carlisle. He was sentenced to five years, placed on the sex offenders’ register for life, and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. The victim later said she suffered “horrifying nightmares” and that the abuse had “knocked my confidence, and reduced me to little self-esteem.”

Police Scotland confirmed it was aware of the name change from Wright to Brown. A spokesman said public safety is a priority and that multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) ensure name changes are known, risk-assessed and recorded. Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, Section 84, registered sex offenders must notify police within three days of using a new name (including aliases, usernames or email addresses). Failure to do so is a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in prison. Police said they proactively enforce the requirements and report breaches to the Procurator Fiscal.

At trial, it emerged Brown had never met Mr Johnston before the night of the murder, though Mr Johnston had previously been in a relationship with Brown’s stepmother. Brown claimed he was possessed by the spirit of Victorian occultist Aleister Crowley and suffering from a mental disorder, but the jury rejected this defence. Detective Inspector Graeme Robertson described the actions as “completely senseless and reckless.” Scottish court reports noted Brown’s status as a convicted sex offender but did not link the convictions to his earlier offences in Cumbria under the name Wright.

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Three men who preyed on a student have been sentenced to a total of more than 20 years. 

• Arjan Purewal
• Jaskaran Thandi
• Hassan Jangheer

Jaskaran Thandi, 23, of HMP Hewell, Redditch, was sentenced to six years and four months for aiding and abetting rape and two years concurrently for sexual assault. 

Arjan Purewal, 23, of Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury, West Midlands was convicted of rape, blackmail, perverting the course of justice and possession of an identification document with improper intention following a trial in March 2025. 

On Friday 9 October, at Worcester Crown Court, Purewal was sentenced to seven years and six months for rape, one year concurrent for blackmail, one year consecutively for perverting the course of justice and a further eight months concurrently for the possession of an identification document – a total of eight years and six months. 

Further charges of conspiracy to rape a female and sexual assault on a female were ordered to lie on file. Purewall must also sign the sex offenders register for life. 

Hassan Jangheer, 23, of Grenville Drive, Smethwick, West Midlands, was sentenced to six years for aiding and abetting rape and two years concurrently for sexual assault 

All three were ordered to pay victim surcharges of £228.

West Mercia Police were called to reports of a stranger rape on Vine Lane in Clent on Saturday 16 September 2023 at around 3.30am. 

The victim reported she had been orally raped and then dumped in the middle of nowhere, stating the perpetrators were in a silver-grey BMW car. 

The three picked her up in Birmingham and drove up and down Broad Street before heading to Clent Hills near Hagley. 

Purewal orally raped the woman before Jangheer forced her to perform a sexual act on him and Thandi sexually assaulted her. Purewal filmed the appalling assault on his mobile phone. 

It is also believed Purewal had hired the BMW – using someone else’s driving licence and ID documents – to target a victim and carry out the rape. 

The survivor has been given appropriate help and support following the ordeal. 

Detective Inspector Warren Matthews said:

“We welcome the result achieved at court. 

“The behaviour of the perpetrators was appalling, and it is right that they are now behind bars. Their vile and predatory actions caused significant harm to the survivor, but we hope the sentencing helps on her path to recovery. 

“I also hope this outcome provides reassurance to victims and survivors that when they come forward, they will be heard. 

“We treat all reports seriously, investigate them thoroughly, and remain committed to bringing offenders to justice while supporting those affected throughout the process." 

Description

Three men who preyed on a student have been sentenced to a total of more than 20 years. 

• Arjan Purewal
• Jaskaran Thandi
• Hassan Jangheer

Jaskaran Thandi, 23, of HMP Hewell, Redditch, was sentenced to six years and four months for aiding and abetting rape and two years concurrently for sexual assault. 

Arjan Purewal, 23, of Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury, West Midlands was convicted of rape, blackmail, perverting the course of justice and possession of an identification document with improper intention following a trial in March 2025. 

On Friday 9 October, at Worcester Crown Court, Purewal was sentenced to seven years and six months for rape, one year concurrent for blackmail, one year consecutively for perverting the course of justice and a further eight months concurrently for the possession of an identification document – a total of eight years and six months. 

Further charges of conspiracy to rape a female and sexual assault on a female were ordered to lie on file. Purewall must also sign the sex offenders register for life. 

Hassan Jangheer, 23, of Grenville Drive, Smethwick, West Midlands, was sentenced to six years for aiding and abetting rape and two years concurrently for sexual assault 

All three were ordered to pay victim surcharges of £228.

West Mercia Police were called to reports of a stranger rape on Vine Lane in Clent on Saturday 16 September 2023 at around 3.30am. 

The victim reported she had been orally raped and then dumped in the middle of nowhere, stating the perpetrators were in a silver-grey BMW car. 

The three picked her up in Birmingham and drove up and down Broad Street before heading to Clent Hills near Hagley. 

Purewal orally raped the woman before Jangheer forced her to perform a sexual act on him and Thandi sexually assaulted her. Purewal filmed the appalling assault on his mobile phone. 

It is also believed Purewal had hired the BMW – using someone else’s driving licence and ID documents – to target a victim and carry out the rape. 

The survivor has been given appropriate help and support following the ordeal. 

Detective Inspector Warren Matthews said:

“We welcome the result achieved at court. 

“The behaviour of the perpetrators was appalling, and it is right that they are now behind bars. Their vile and predatory actions caused significant harm to the survivor, but we hope the sentencing helps on her path to recovery. 

“I also hope this outcome provides reassurance to victims and survivors that when they come forward, they will be heard. 

“We treat all reports seriously, investigate them thoroughly, and remain committed to bringing offenders to justice while supporting those affected throughout the process."