Latest Offenders

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A man was handed a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of grooming and repeatedly engaging in sexual activity with a teenage girl.

Philip Hares, 41, of Trevelyan Road in Cornwall, was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on September 25.

The court heard the offences involved a girl aged between 14 and 15 in Lowestoft.

Hares had denied the offences but was convicted following a trial.

Jurors found him guilty of two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child aged 13 to 15 and meeting a child following sexual grooming.

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Frederico Santos, 25, of Bramford Road in Ipswich, was jailed for six years and three months after being convicted of rape.

The court heard that Santos raped a woman on a sofa while she was babysitting at a house in the town in May 2022.

Santos denied rape but was convicted by a jury.

Recorder Claire Davies KC said the offence had a "devastating" physical and mental impact on the victim.

He was also banned from contacting her until further notice and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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Officers are urging people to look out for a wanted sex offender with links to Cumbria, Hampshire, Edinburgh and Glasgow

Michal Rygielski is wanted by Cumbria Police.

The 38-year-old is wanted after failing to comply with a sex offenders notification order as well as failing to appear at court.

Rygielski is around 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build with blue eyes and receding hair. He is believed to be in the Edinburgh or Glasgow areas.

Anyone with information on Rygielski’s whereabouts is urged to contact police.

People can report online at www.cumbria.police.uk/reportit quoting CRI10062105.

You can also phone on 101.

Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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A rapist has been jailed for eight years after attacking a woman he met online in her own home.

Carl Thomson, 55, now of Portishead, appeared at Exeter Crown Court for sentence on Friday 2 October after being found guilty of rape, sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault.

Thomson must sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

During the trial, the jury heard how Thomson – then living in Paignton - met the victim online in March 2023.

In early April of that year Thomson and the victim went for a walk and then for dinner so she could show him the local area.

Messages from Thomson to the victim became sexualised and on 13 April 2023, Thomson raped and sexually assaulted her at her home.

The victim reported the offences to police on 18 April 2023, and Thomson was arrested at Bristol Airport.

She went on to tell police that she was forced to comply with Thomson’s advances as she feared for her own safety.

In interview Thomson stated the sexual contact was consensual.

During sentencing, HHJ Patrick told Thomson that the victim showed his kindness, but he took that as sexual and forced himself on her.

He added that the offences have caused her significant psychological harm.

Officer in the case Detective Constable Tia Smallridge, said:

“I welcome the sentence given to Carl Thomson at Exeter Crown Court.

“Thomson is a sexual predator who gained the trust of his victim before betraying it in the most horrific way.

“He abused the victim’s kindness and subjected her to a prolonged and sustained attack in a place where she should have safe from harm.

“He continued to deny his offending meaning the victim had to give evidence at court.

“I would like to thank the victim for reporting what happened to us, and then remaining engaged throughout the legal process.

“We hope she is now able to feel some form of closure and begin to move on with her life.

“Anybody who has been the victim of sexual offending is asked to report it to us via 101 or our website, or by 999 if in immediate danger.

“Our officers will investigate every report regardless of when the offence took place.”

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A man has been jailed after a vicious attack on a woman in Bagshot in January.

39-year-old Craig Grace will spend the next 14 years behind bars after being found guilty of rape.

At the end of January, Grace attacked a woman known to him with a knife. He stabbed her in the hand and raped her, threatening to kill her if she tried to run.

The victim was eventually able to flee and reported the assault to police. Grace was arrested, charged, and remanded within 24 hours of the 999 call. At court he refused to take the stand, and following trial was convicted of:

• Two counts of rape
• One count of sexual assault
• One count of serious assault (GBH)
• One count of assault (ABH)
• Threats to kill

On Tuesday, 29 September, Grace (17/03/1987), of Bagshot, was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment at Guildford Crown Court. He will also be subject to a lifetime restraining order against the victim.

The victim lives with permanent reminders, both physical and emotional, of the attack. “I have a scar on my hand as a result of the injuries I sustained that night. Every time I see it, I am reminded of the violence I endured and the trauma I continue to live with.”

She does not shy away from saying that:

“The events of that night were horrific and have fundamentally changed who I am” but remains defiant and hopeful for the future. “I refuse to be defined solely by what was done to me. Instead, I choose to be defined by my courage, resilience, determination, and strength.”

Investigating officer DC Antonia Corbu said:

“I would like to pay tribute to the courage and resilience of the victim throughout this investigation. I hope that the sentence imposed will go some way to helping provide with the closure needed to rebuild her life.

“Within 24 hours of the 999 call reporting this horrific attack, Craig Grace had been charged and remanded and has not walked free since. I am grateful for the hard work from police officers across departments and forces that made this possible.

“After the attack Grace fled to Wiltshire, where he was swiftly located and arrested by our colleagues from Wiltshire Police. The first attending officers to the scene in Bagshot treated the victim with compassion and respect and helped secure vital evidence, and the investigating team worked flat out to bring charges against Grace and ensure he was held accountable for his crimes.”

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A man has been jailed for more than a decade after he raped a woman and left her unconscious and partially clothed in a Derby street.

Gurpreet Singh raped the woman after a night out in May 2022.

The victim awoke disorientated in an unknown street the following morning and realised she wasn’t wearing any underwear, shoes, or socks and had on a pair of trousers that didn’t belong to her.

Singh, of Doveridge Walk, Littleover, was arrested and subsequently charged but denied that he had raped the victim.

CCTV evidence gathered during the police investigation showed Singh walking along the street holding the victim up, before heading towards an address in Derby. The victim had no clothing on her bottom half and was not wearing shoes.

The case was sent to trial and in July this year 33-year-old Singh was found guilty by a jury.

On 17 September he appeared at Chesterfield Court where a judge sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment.

Singh was also handed an indefinite restraining order in respect of the victim and is required to register with police for life upon his release from prison.

In extracts from her Victim Personal Statement, which was read out in court, the victim said:

“…The assault changed the way I see myself. It made me feel dirty, ashamed, and as though something had been taken from me. Although I know that what happened was not my fault, those feelings have stayed with me and continue to affect my confidence and self-worth.

“…The assault has taken away my sense of safety, freedom, and peace of mind. It has affected my mental health, my sleep, my relationships, my work, and my ability to enjoy everyday life. Four years later I am still living with the consequences of one person’s actions. I continue to carry the fear, anxiety, and emotional pain every day, and I am still trying to rebuild the confidence and sense of security that were taken away from me.”

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Hayley Doody, said:

“The victim in this case has been incredibly brave for the past four years and I want to thank her for her co-operation and patience with our investigation, and the wider case, while she waited for her day in court.

“Singh is an extremely dangerous and calculating individual, who thought he could rape the victim and get away with it.

“Nothing can undo the trauma that Singh has caused for the victim, but I hope that knowing he has been held accountable and is now behind bars will offer her some peace so that she can move forwards with her life.”

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Barry Lee, 49, of Marine Road, Pensarn, was jailed for two years at Mold Crown Court after admitting attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child aged 13–15 to look at images of sexual activity.

On 7 September 2026, North Wales Police attended his address after a paedophile hunter group reported that he had been “corresponding with and sending images to a 14-year-old child.” He was arrested and his phone seized. Chat logs showed that between late August and early September he used two names to message someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl. He steered the conversation into sexual territory, sent a sexual image of himself, and asked for images in return. The other party was a decoy.

Lee has six previous convictions covering 19 offences, including sexual communication with a child, attempting to get a child under 16 to watch a sexual act, and sending indecent communications. He was also serving a community order for exposure, which he breached.

Prosecuting, Sam Wiggs outlined the evidence. Defending, John Wyn Williams noted Lee’s early guilty pleas and difficult childhood.

Judge Simon Mills described the offences as “serious” and said only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate. Previous suspended sentences and community orders had not stopped him offending. The judge accepted that Lee recognised he had a problem, but warned he risked escalating and facing tougher sentences. “The nature of your conversations with the decoy was ever so close to a higher level of offending,” the judge said.

Lee must serve up to half the two-year term in custody, with the remainder on licence. He was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be treated as a very high risk offender. He must comply with sex offender notification requirements for 10 years. A deprivation order was made for his phone, and he must pay the statutory surcharge.

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A sex offender who exposed himself to a woman on a train then masturbated in front of her has been jailed, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Nisan Fernando Kurukulasuriya, 39, and of Troutbeck Road in Altrincham, was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday 15 September. He pleaded guilty to Sexual Assault and Outraging Public Decency at a previous court hearing.

He was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will bar him from sitting next to any woman he doesn't know on public transport, and will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The court heard how, on Monday 20 April 2026, Kurukulasuriya was on a train from Stoke to Manchester when he sat next to a woman he didn't know who was on the phone.

He then sexually assaulted her repeatedly, doing so again even after being pushed away by the woman. The woman then noticed that he had exposed himself and was masturbating in front of her.  

She shouted at Kurukulasuriya, who in response stood up and ran away to leave the train. The woman immediately got up to report the incident to staff.

When the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly, the woman went to speak to a member of railway staff. Kurukulasuriya meanwhile was stood only a few meters away, seemingly without a ticket that would let him through the gate line.

The woman told a member of staff at the gateline that Kurukulasuriya had exposed himself to her, and the member of staff immediately contacted BTP.  

Officers quickly attended, speaking to the woman and arresting Kurukulasuriya before taking him to custody. When police interviewed him, Kurukulasuriya showed no remorse for his actions and refused to answer any questions put to him.

BTP Detective Sargeant Mark Haviland said:

"Kurukulasuriya is a despicable man who targeted a woman travelling alone for his own sick sexual gratification. His brazen behaviour was terrifying, and I commend the victim for having the courage to report the incident so that we could take swift action.

"There is no place on the railway network for sexual offending of any kind, so I am pleased to see Kurukulasuriya rightfully jailed for his actions.

"We take every report seriously, and we will always believe you. No report is too small, and if you've been the victim of this offending, you can contact us discreetly by texting 61016 so we can secure justice for you.”

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A man who raped a woman in Stoke-on-Trent has been jailed for more than a decade.

Shaun Daniels, 38, of no fixed address, was sentenced to ten-years-and-six-months imprisonment at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 29 September).

Following a trial, Daniels was found guilty of two counts of rape, assault by beating and assaulting a person thereby occasioning actual bodily harm.

He had previously pleaded guilty to criminal damage to property valued under £5,000.

On 22 January this year, Daniels raped and assaulted the victim inside an address in Stoke-on-Trent.

Two days later, on 24 January, Daniels assaulted the victim again while they were at Fenton Park.

Members of the public who witnessed the incident reported it to us, prompting an immediate investigation.

As part of his sentence, Daniels was also made subject to the Sex Offenders Register and an indefinite restraining order was imposed to protect the victim.

Detective Constable Jessica Hill, of the public protection unit, led the investigation. She said:

"Daniels denied these offences when he was arrested, but through a thorough investigation we were able to gather compelling evidence that ultimately led to a jury finding him guilty.

"The impact of these violent and sexual offences on the victim should not be underestimated.

“I would like to recognise the courage shown by the victim throughout the investigation and trial process.

“We remain committed to supporting victims of sexual offences and bringing offenders before the courts."

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A man who shared explicit messages and images with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl has been jailed.

David Clark, 52, contacted an account in September 2025 on Snapchat, unaware it was a decoy run by an online child abuse activist group.

The “girl” told Clark she was only 13 years old multiple times, but he continued sexual conversations with her, asking about her sexual experiences and describing sexual acts to her.

Clark sent an explicit photograph of himself and asked her to send indecent images to him in return.

He also sent the victim an image of two adults engaging in sexual intercourse.

When Clark was arrested in November 2025, officers seized multiple devices but found that he had attempted to delete any evidence of the offending chat history.

At Huntingdon Law Courts on Friday (25 September), Clark, of Akeman Street, Cambridge, was jailed for three years and two months after admitting one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, one count of causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity, and one count of attempting to cause / incite a girl to engage in sexual activity.

DC Bethany Reynolds, from the Online Child Abuse Safeguarding Team (OCAST), said:

“Clark is clearly a risk to children.

“He advised the ‘child’ in this case to delete the messages in case her parents found them, proving he knew what he was doing was wrong.

“Although thankfully a decoy account, Clark still attempted to prey on and groom what he believed was a child.

“Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we will do all we can to bring offenders to justice.”

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A former North Wales Police officer has admitted to committing a sexual offence in Old Colwyn earlier this year.

Detective Constable Lee Harshey-Jones, who has now resigned from the force, appeared at Chester Crown Court this morning (Wednesday, 30 September).

During the hearing, he pleaded guilty to recording an image under clothing to observe another without consent, contrary to S.67A(1) and (4) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The charge related to an incident involving two juvenile females, which occurred on Thursday, 11 June.

Harshey-Jones was quickly arrested and later charged by North Wales Police officers.

His suspension from duty was imposed immediately.

At court, the 45-year-old also pleaded guilty to corrupt or other improper exercise of police powers and privileges, and to a charge of perverting the course of justice.

After being granted bail, he will now be sentenced on Thursday, 19 November.

Criminal proceedings and North Wales Police misconduct protocols remain active and the force is unable to provide comment at this time.

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Ben Goodier, 32, of Fletcher Street, Latchford, has been sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court after sexually assaulting a woman and harassing her for nine years, and after sending threatening messages to his former landlord.

Between 2012 and 2013, while still a teenager, Goodier sent messages to a pregnant woman in which he suggested a “pregnancy fetish,” asking how her nipples felt and what giving birth would feel like. She blocked him after the messages made her uncomfortable.

In 2014 he sexually assaulted a woman at a party. He grabbed her in a corridor, pushed her and held her shoulders as she told him “no” and to “get off.” He grabbed her breasts and touched her genitals before another guest intervened. The woman later said the attack left her feeling “absolutely horrific” and that she “blamed herself” because she was “made to feel like it was her own fault.” Goodier told her he “didn’t mean to sexually assault her.” The assault was not reported at the time.

He then contacted her repeatedly over the next nine years from different social media accounts, including offers of money to touch her breasts, despite her making clear she did not want contact. In a victim impact statement she said she felt “unsafe” after he claimed to know where she lived. She has since moved and changed her routes around the town to avoid him.

Goodier was also convicted of harassing his former landlord after being evicted over £3,000 in rent arrears. On 17 September, while in Newton-le-Willows, he sent messages including: “You are going to be the reason I kill myself when I get evicted,” “I hope all of your kids and your blubber-framed wife die of an aggressive and uncurable cancer you sick disgusting f**k,” “I am going to turn up at your office and f**k you into oblivion with a claw hammer and I will s***k over your lifeless body,” and “I hate your pathetic face.”

The court heard he has mental health issues that “would not be helped in a custodial setting.” He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 16 months, with a nine-month treatment requirement, 20 rehabilitation activity days, and £454 in costs. A 10-year restraining order protects the woman he assaulted and harassed. He must sign the sex offenders register for seven years.

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A man who was discovered to have had over 110,000 indecent images of children across 76 devices has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and has been sentenced following his appearance at Hull Crown Court yesterday (Monday, 28 September 2026).

Daniel Greaves, 35-years-old, Station Road in Patrington, East Riding of Yorkshire, will be on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years, and has also been handed a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He has been given a two-year suspended sentence, and ordered to conduct 200 hours' unpaid work, and 20 days rehabilitation.

An investigation was launched by our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) back in March 2024, after the team received information that a man called Daniel Greaves was suspected to be in possession of multiple indecent images of children.

He was subsequently arrested at his home address in March 2024 on suspicion of indecent images of children, and specialist officers from POLIT alongside our Digital Forensics Unit, got to work examining the 76 devices that were found during a search of Greaves' address.

Devices including phones, computers, hard drives and servers were seized, which uncovered over 110,000 videos and images of children, having been collected over nine and a half years.

Due to the sheer volume of videos and photos discovered across Greaves' devices, the POLIT and Digital Forensics Team had to derive a digital strategy, prioritising the devices for examination. On the seven devices that were examined, over 100,000 images and videos were submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for review and charges to be brought against him.

Police Constable Sophie Newbon from our Police Online Investigation Team, leading the investigation said:

"The sheer volume of images and videos that Greaves had collected of young children using the dark web in an attempt to get away with his disgusting behaviour, was absolutely appalling.

“Greaves went out of his way to scour the internet and download thousands of indecent images from across the web all for his own perverse gratification.

"Investigations of this nature are extremely complex, and I commend the POLIT and DFU officers for their patience and determination in developing the most comprehensive digital strategy to put a stark amount of evidence before the courts, leading Greaves to decide to plead guilty. The extremities the team were exposed to whilst reviewing them all cannot be underestimated.”

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A woman has been commended for her courage after helping convict a man who seriously sexually abused her as a child in Kirklees.

Safeguarding officers from Kirklees Police thanked the victim for coming forward, following the sentencing at Leeds Crown Court today of Richard Day for rape.

Day, aged 30 of Jubilee Terrace, Morley, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty by a jury of rape of a child under 13.

He was also given a restraining order and put on the Sex Offenders Register. 

The offences took place between 2014 and 2017 and were first reported by the victim in March 2021.

Dedicated safeguarding officers began a full investigation into the report, while offering support to the victim. 

The investigation resulted in Day being summonsed to court in October 2023.

He pleaded not guilty to the offences but was found guilty by a jury in a unanimous verdict at a trial this June.

Detective Sergeant Olivia Connor who led the investigation, said: 

“We fully appreciate just how difficult it can be for victims of such dreadful offending to come forward and report what they have suffered, and I want to commend the bravery of the survivor in this case.

"Day subjected her to appalling abuse over a prolonged period of time and then put her through the ordeal of a trial.  A jury has unanimously convicted him for these offences, and we hope the victim can take comfort from that and seeing him sentenced.

"We do continue to encourage survivors of sexual offences who may not have come forwards, for whatever reason, to do so. Dedicated safeguarding detectives will do all they can to support you and help you secure justice."

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Graeme Dott, 49, jailed for seven years and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life

Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing two children. The 49-year-old, from Glasgow, will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for the rest of his life.

Dott denied two charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour towards a girl and a boy between 1993 and 2010. A jury at the High Court in Glasgow found him guilty in August 2026 after a five-day trial. Lord Harrower sentenced him on 29 September 2026 at the High Court in Edinburgh. The term was backdated to 24 August, when he was remanded in custody.

He showed no emotion as sentence was passed, nodding to someone in the public gallery as he was led away. During the judge’s remarks he repeatedly shook his head.

The offences

The first victim was a girl of about nine. The abuse began in 1993, when Dott was 16 or 17, and continued until 1996. Police contacted him about those allegations in 2001, but no charges followed. The woman, now in her 40s, gave a further statement in 2025.

The second victim was a boy of about eight. That abuse began around 2006 — the year Dott won the World Snooker Championship — and continued until 2010. The boy is now a man in his 20s.

The offence of lewd and libidinous practices covers sexual crimes against children committed before 1 December 2010. It was abolished in 2009 but remains the correct charge for earlier conduct.

The court heard that Dott warned both children they would not be believed if they told anyone. He denied the allegations at trial and described them as “disgusting.”

Judge’s remarks

Lord Harrower said each victim was vulnerable for reasons beyond their age. Dott’s conduct, he said, “bore the hallmarks of grooming”: he rewarded the children with treats and presented the abuse as a game. The judge said Dott had robbed them of “a significant part of their childhood” and that the abuse was “a gross violation of trust.”

The victims, the court was told, had lived with “overwhelming emotions of fear, shame and anger,” with effects on their mental health into adulthood.

Social work reports assessed Dott as posing a “below average risk of reoffending.” Because he maintains his innocence, the judge said he could not treat remorse as a mitigating factor. The court also heard that Dott has already faced threats in prison and has been moved as a result.

Mitigation and previous record

Euan Dow, representing Dott, said the father of two is now separated from his wife but “continues to enjoy the support of his family and friends.” He said Dott has “long-standing mental health issues” and that his personal and professional reputations had been destroyed.

Dott has two previous convictions, both minor road traffic offences, from 2013 and 2015.

Prosecution comment

Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook, of the Crown Office, said: “Graeme Dott achieved success and public admiration but, in private, he exploited the trust of two children to abuse and coerce them. Dott’s criminal behaviour has been his downfall and he now faces the consequences of his actions.”

She added that “justice has no time limit” and urged other victims of historical abuse to come forward.

Sporting sanctions

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association suspended Dott from all professional activity on 9 April 2025. After the conviction it permanently revoked his membership. He was removed from the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame and relegated from the professional ranking list at the end of the 2025/26 season.

Dott won the world title in 2006 by beating Peter Ebdon at the Crucible. He was also a finalist in 2004 and 2010.