Latest Offenders

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A predator booked a hotel to meet with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl for sex. Police officers were alerted to Ciaran Clark, from Ross Street in Widnes, after he was caught in the act by an undercover officer pretending to be a 12-year-old child in an online chatroom.

The 46-year-old had even booked a hotel room in anticipation of meeting the child. Detectives immediately arrested the 46-year-old on December 31 last year and he was charged and remanded on New Year's Day.

Clark appeared at Chester Crown Court on March 17 to be sentenced after pleading guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence - rape / assault by penetration of child under 13, and being an adult attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was jailed for 10 years.

As well as the jail term he was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. DC Faye Taylor from Cheshire Constabulary’s OCAIT team said: “Clark was unaware he was sending his warped messaging to an undercover officer. He’d even booked a hotel room in anticipation of meeting the child.

“This is what makes us so determined to catch these people and stay on duty to make sure they are remanded into custody. Even though he was talking to an adult, he was unaware, and the intent was there - his messages were despicable.

“As a team we are driven to stop people like Clark in their tracks and we will do all we possibly can to protect children at risk from these predatory paedophiles.”

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A man from Banbury that police describe as a 'dangerous offender' has been sent to prison for sexually abusing a child.

Colin Lomas, of High Furlong, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (March 13).

The 59-year-old was also been placed on a sexual harm prevention order for life.

The sentencing comes after the Banbury man pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a child under 13, in Oxfordshire in the past five years.

Detective Constable Samantha Hunter of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “I am pleased that Lomas has been sentenced to jail and will be the subject of a prevention order for life.

“He is clearly a dangerous offender who is a danger to children.

“I would like to pay tribute to the victim in coming forward and I hope that the conviction allows her and her family to move on with their lives.

“We hope that this case shows that we are committed to investigating sexual offences and would encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of a sexual offence to please come forward.”

Colin Lomas was arrested on July 26, 2023, and charged on January 25, 2024.

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A 30-year-old man has been jailed for eight years after being found guilty of two offences of rape, and one of sexual assault in Southsea, following a four-day trial at Winchester Crown Court.

Aaron Horsfall of no fixed address was sentenced on Thursday 20 March.

Horsfall was charged as part of our investigation into the rape of a 19-year-old woman at an address of Waverley Road on 16 September last year.

He will also have to sign the sex offenders register for life.

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A man who was found guilty of the rape of a 17-year-old girl in Southampton city centre has been jailed for seven years and three months.

Runakl Shawn Delecia, 45, of Lynton Road in Bristol, appeared at Southampton Crown Court today (Friday 21 March) for sentence, having been found guilty of rape at the same court earlier this month.

The court was told how the victim, who is now 19 but was 17-years-old at the time of the incident, was approached by Delecia in the Carlton Place area of the city centre at around 1.30am on Sunday 9 April 2023, shortly before he raped her.

It was heard how Delecia could be seen on CCTV leading the girl away from Carlton Place and towards Carlton Crescent. After security staff working in the area were able to identify Delecia, he was arrested by police and charged with the offence, which he denied.

Following a six day trial at Southampton Crown Court, a jury found him guilty of rape on Monday 3 March and he has now been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.

Officer in charge of the case Detective Constable Laura Cook, of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s specialist rape and serious sexual offences unit Operation Amberstone, said: “First and foremost, I must express my thanks to the victim in this case for her support in bringing Delecia to justice for this awful and predatory crime.

“The courage it takes to come forward and speak to us about incidents of this nature should not be underestimated and the fact that Delecia is now behind bars is testament to her bravery in speaking out and assisting us with this investigation.

“The Operation Amberstone team works tirelessly to target perpetrators of rape, and provide specialist support to survivors who have been affected.

“I hope that this sentence goes some way to helping the young woman involved gain closure and begin to move forward with her life. We want our communities, and survivors of abuse, to know that we stand with them and will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

Southampton Chief Inspector Mark Lumley said: “We are pleased with this sentence today and hope that it sends a clear message to anyone who comes to our city centre with the intention of causing harm to others. No-one in our community should ever be in a position where they do not feel safe walking the streets. For someone to be targeted in this way is abhorrent and will never be tolerated by police.

“Myself and my officers, who work tirelessly alongside our valued partnership agencies to ensure that Southampton is a safe and welcoming place to visit after dark, are committed to ensuring the safety of everyone in our city centre.

“It is thanks to the support of our security colleagues, and the nearby pubs and clubs, alongside the help of CCTV, that we were able to identify and arrest Delecia so quickly.

“We continue with our dedicated patrols at times when our pubs and clubs are at their busiest. A key focus of our officers, together with our partners, is to identify vulnerable people and safeguard them, as well as targeting and calling out perpetrators, arresting and using dispersal powers where necessary.

“We work very hard in Southampton to tackle sexual offences in partnership with organisations that support survivors. We want you to have the confidence to come forward and talk to us, knowing that you will be believed and supported, if something has happened to you, or somebody you know.”

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A Huddersfield man has been jailed for eight years after pleading guilty to multiple sexual offences against a child.

Joshua Martin, aged 26, from Primrose Hill, Huddersfield was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today ( Friday 21 March) for four offences of sexual activity with an underage female.

Offending took place between 2024 and early 2025 during which period Martin groomed and then began to sexually offend against his victim.

The matter was reported to police in early 2025, leading to an investigation by the Kirklees District Child Safeguarding Unit.

Martin was arrested and charged to appear before Leeds Crown Court on 13 January.

Aside from the sexual offences, Martin was also convicted for failing to comply with the requirements of being on the Sex Offenders Register.

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Martin Fawcett, 55, of Cluttons Close, Crowland, was recently sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a child under 13 years’ old.

The result brought a lengthy eight-month investigation to a close and gave his victim some sense of closure – even if the road ahead is long.

Like all cases of this type, it required a huge effort involving teams from across Lincolnshire Police.

Response officers, detectives, crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, digital forensics experts and child communication experts all played their part.

So did the Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) Team.

Working alongside the Crown Prosecution Service, everyone worked to build a case that had the best chance of success.

It began when a brave family made the decision to put their faith in the police force to protect their child and to get justice for what had happened to them.

Officers worked with the family in those initial hours to gather vital evidence and to ensure that the suspect was arrested as soon as possible.

This was so that he could be processed for evidence and interviewed.

Once work had begun, the case was referred to the Protecting Vulnerable People department, a specialist investigation unit specialising in sexual offences against children (among others).

An Officer in the Case was assigned to coordinate the investigation.

Detectives worked with response officers and crime scene investigators to gather evidence from the crime scene.

These were what police call ‘Golden Hour Enquiries’– evidence gathering in the earliest stages of the investigation when evidence is in abundance and most vulnerable to loss or degradation.

This included a full search of the offence location, seizure of electronic devices, and gathering forensic evidence.

Vitally, during these early stages, the full extent of risk to the victim, family, suspect, and the public was established, and strategies were put into play to manage these risks.

Detectives worked with the family, the victim’s school, and MOSOVO to ensure that risk was effectively managed.

This continued throughout, as well as during the build up to court and sentencing, including support from our Neighbourhood Policing Team who monitored potential tensions arising from the case and spoke with the local people about their concerns.

Longer term investigative action then began, including reviewing and downloading digital devices (with the support of our Police Online Investigation Team and our Digital Forensics Unit), analysing forensics.

A further interview with the suspect was undertaken as new evidence came to light, as well as gathering statements from disclosure witnesses.

During this stage, detectives also worked with a Registered Intermediary (a child communication expert) to complete a video recorded interview with the young victim.

This was to ensure that when their evidence was presented in court, it would be the best evidence.

Finally, once all evidence had been gathered and analysed, the Officer in Case was responsible for pulling this together ready to go to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision.

The case officer worked with the Officer in the Case to review unused material and third-party material, ensuring that there was full disclosure to ensure a fair trial for the suspect.

Detective Brennan said, “It was an honour to lead this investigation and to work alongside dedicated colleagues who consistently demonstrate a victim-centred, suspect-focused approach to investigation.

“As a team, we are so grateful that the victim’s family put their trust in us to get them the justice they deserved.

“We hope that this positive outcome will encourage other victims to come forward.”

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Lee Alan Kneller, 39, of Chaffinch Green, Waterlooville appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 7 February, where he was sentenced to eight and a half years imprisonment for robbery and sexual assault.

On Saturday 8 June 2024, officers were called to reports that the woman in her 40s had been attending an address on Vian Road in her role as a carer, when Kneller had knocked on the door and pushed his way past her into the address, claiming to need to use the bathroom.

The woman told Kneller to leave, however he proceeded to sexually assault her and demand money, before stealing her handbag and fleeing the address.

An investigation was immediately launched by Havant and East Hants Criminal Investigations Department, and thanks to CCTV enquiries and the public’s response to a media appeal for information, Kneller was quickly identified and arrested later the same day.

Kneller pleaded guilty to both robbery and sexual assault and was sentenced on Friday 7 February to eight and a half years imprisonment and order to sign the sexual offender’s register indefinitely.

Officer in charge of the case DC Ashlee Wait said, “I am very happy to see Lee Kneller face justice for his crimes and would like to thank the public for their assistance in helping us get him off of the streets as swiftly as possible.

“Kneller’s crimes against a woman who was simply doing her job are horrendous, and I am glad to see him put behind bars. No one should feel unsafe in their place of work and I commend the victim highly for coming forward and helping us prevent Kneller from attacking anyone else.

Description

A man sexually assaulted two teenage girls outside a court where he was on trial for drug dealing.

Darnell McCollins, 24, approached the pair near Stafford Crown Court on June 3 last year.

The 24 year old began asking them questions and touched both of them.

McCollins, of Eaton in London, made repeated advances before both of the girls walked away and told someone what had happened.

Police arrested him the following day and he denied committing the offences during questioning.

McCollins was taken to court and pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a female at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced to 23-weeks imprisonment at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on March 11.

This will run consecutively to a three-and-a-half-year sentence he is serving for conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

He was put on the Sex Offender’s Register for seven years, given a restraining order against the victims and ordered to pay £604 in costs.

DI Emma Roach, from the child protection team at Staffordshire Police, said: "I'm pleased that we were able to gather the evidence needed to convict McCollins of his crimes and to support the survivors as much as possible.

"We're determined to deliver justice for victims of sexual crimes in Staffordshire and to act robustly against those responsible."

A spokesperson for the force added: "A man who sexually assaulted two girls outside of court while on trial for another matter has been jailed after we launched an investigation.

"Darnell McCollins, 24, of Eaton, London, was due to appear at Stafford Crown Court on 3 June last year when he approached two teenage girls and started asking them questions.

"He asked them for their details and touched both of them. He made repeated advances before both of the girls walked away and told someone what had happened.

"We started investigating and arrested McColins the day after. He was questioned in custody but denied the offences.

"Officers from our child protection team (CPT) worked extremely hard to support the survivors as much as possible and to gather all of the evidence needed to charge McCollins for his crimes.

"McCollins was taken to court and pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a female at an earlier hearing.

"He was sentenced to 23-weeks imprisonment at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 11 March, which will run consecutively to a separate sentence he is serving.

"He was put on the Sex Offender’s Register for seven years, given a restraining order against the victims and ordered to pay £604 in costs."

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A twisted catfish conman who duped four Dundee women into sending nude videos and images has been sentenced to register as a sex offender for five years.

Robi MacBain – a former soldier and convicted child abuser – stole an English man’s identity to create a bogus Facebook and Tinder persona.

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A sex offender who is subject to stringent conduct requirements was caught with pornography on his phone after making a drunken “nuisance” of himself at Tesco in Montrose.

Aaron Ryan must not possess devices capable of accessing the internet without permission as part of a seven-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) imposed in 2021.

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A sex pest football fan downed five bottles of Buckfast before groping a Perth bar worker and clubbing another man over the head with a guitar, a court has heard.

Neil Rodgers laughed after sexually assaulting the hotel worker, having consumed more than a litre-and-a-half of the tonic wine while with fellow Celtic supporters.

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A former Liverpool primary school teacher has been banned from the classroom for life after being convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Prior to being caught up in a police sting, Alan Harbottle spent 12 years working at Mosspits Lane Primary School in Wavertree.

The 52-year-old will now never set foot in a school again after a teacher regulation agency panel felt his conviction was so severe he may not be allowed to work with young people for the rest of his life. Documents released from a hearing held in private have revealed how the former PSHE lead was caught by officers pretending to be a 14-year-old boy online.

Harbottle, who taught at Mosspits from September 2011, was arrested on suspicion of sexual communication with a child in May 2023. He appeared in court a month later and was subsequently suspended by the school.

Following a disciplinary hearing held in September 2023, Harbottle - who had led the school’s drama club, was dismissed. On June 1, 2023, he appeared at Southend on Sea Magistrates Court and was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a child under 16 after grooming them online.

The ex-teacher admitted that he had been contacted by Essex Police following a police sting operation whereby Harbottle communicated with officers posing as a 14-year-old boy. He admitted that this had involved the exchange of sexualised nude images and discussion of sexual acts.

Harbottle also admitted that he organised a meeting with the boy as he believed. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment suspended for 24 months, ordered to participate in a sexual offender programme for 30 days, undertake a rehabilitation activity requirement for 25 days and was barred from working with children.

The former teacher was also given a sexual harm prevention order for a decade. The court was told how in May 2023, Harbottle began speaking to someone on a legal dating app with someone he believed to be over 18.

The person was in fact a decoy police officer, who purported to be 14. The documents set out how sexualised photographs were exchanged at Harbottle’s behest and the conversation led swiftly to discussions about “specific and highly intimate sexual behaviour.”

The judge said: “It’s clear that you knew what you were doing, you made that obvious by the sense of some form of self-awareness during the course of those exchanges, and obviously that what you were doing was wholly wrong…” The Judge added how “nonetheless, you persisted, and so it was that you went to meet, what you believed to be, a 14-year-old boy… It must have been in your head, that there was a possibility you might have sexual activity with him…”

The court was told how Harbottle had written a letter in which he had “expressed, unusually but perceptively, [his] own relief at being caught”. The Judge said that it seemed to him that Harbottle had had time to reflect and to “appreciate that the actions of the police in trapping [him]… has perhaps saved you and indeed some other young person, from the reality of what this criminal offence would otherwise mean.”

It was accepted Harbottle had expressed genuine remorse and nothing else was discovered that suggested the former teacher was predatory in any other way. He was given full credit for his guilty pleas and was said to have a significant prospect of rehabilitation.

However, this was not enough for the Teacher Regulation Agency to permit him to return to the classroom. A three person panel found he had acted deliberately and he had fully expected to be suspended from the profession as a result.

The seriousness of the offending meant a lifetime ban was imposed on Harbottle. This means he is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

He will not be permitted to apply to have his eligibility restored.

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A "dangerous" and violent rapist who attacked a teenage girl has been jailed for 14 years.

Robert Green, 30, had denied offences, including rape, but was found guilty by jurors at Newcastle Crown Court.

The offending came to light after the victim visited a Tyneside hospital and a nurse raised concerns, the court heard.

Green must also serve four years on extended licence upon his release from prison, and must sign the sex offender register for life.

Judge Gavin Doig praised both the nurse for intervening, and the girl for reporting the rape to police.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said she still lived in fear of Green and had developed a distrust of men as a result of his actions.

'Lifelong impact'

Green, who appeared at court via video link from HMP Durham, could be seen violently gesturing, shouting and laughing throughout the sentencing hearing.

Judge Doig described Green, whom the court heard had never had a job, as a "dangerous" offender who posed a "high risk of serious harm" to other people.

Green, of no fixed abode, had 15 convictions for 31 offences on his record, including multiple episodes of serious violence for which he had been previously jailed, the court heard.

Det Con Kayleigh Falcus, of Northumbria Police, said Green was "extremely dangerous" and his actions had had a "lifelong impact on his victim".

The detective also paid tribute to the nurse, adding: "This case demonstrates so very clearly that safeguarding is everyone's business.

"If you've seen something which doesn't sit right, don't ignore it – report it to us."

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A sexual predator has been jailed at York Crown Court today, Thursday 20 March 2025.

Daniel Roberts, 31, of Jorvik Close in York, appeared in court charged with six offences of distributing indecent images of children, making indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images and possession of prohibited images of children.

The defendant was remanded in custody since his last appearance at York Crown Court on Tuesday 19 November 2024, having pleaded guilty to 18 previous similar offences. He received a four-year custodial sentence with a four-year licence period.

Roberts has been investigated by North Yorkshire Police since June 2022 and throughout this time has continued to offend whilst on police bail, court bail and as a convicted registered sex offender. 

Following his arrest officers seized his devices which uncovered Category A, B and C indecent images of children and extreme pornography.

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A man who climbed through the window of a flat and raped a woman he first met just hours earlier has been jailed.

Antanas Jancevskis and his victim had both attended a barbecue in the area of Leicester’s Glenfield Road on 17 April 2022.

That night she was taken home by two friends and went to sleep on her sofa. However that night she woke to find 35-year-old Jancevskis lying on the sofa with her, where he subsequently raped her.

When he went to the toilet, she ran from her flat and alerted a member of the public, who in turn rang police. Jancevskis was arrested by police in the early hours of 18 April.

On 19 February 2025, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court Jancevskis – of Castle Street in Boston, Lincolnshire – was found guilty of one count of rape.

Today (Thursday 20 March) at the same court, he was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and will be placed on the sex offender register for life.