Latest Offenders

Description

An Oxford judge has urged a man jailed for breaching court orders to "get on with his life."

Benjaman Johnson, 31, of Abingdon Road, Oxford, was sentenced on February 17 at Oxford Crown Court after pleading guilty to failing to comply with sex offenders' register requirements and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard Johnson was released from prison on January 14 this year. Five days later, on January 19, his offender manager discovered a Samsung phone used in incognito mode—a breach of the order—and an unreported bank card, leading to his arrest.

Johnson admitted the breaches in a police interview. He has two prior convictions for five offenses, including sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a girl under 16, plus a previous breach of his sexual harm prevention order.

Prosecutor Alexandra Bushell said: "This was a very serious breach, it was deliberate."

Defense counsel Gareth James noted: "He was using incognito mode. That does pose a serious risk as police didn't know what he was doing with the phone." He added concerns about Johnson's mental health, accepting "there is little alternative open to the court" and that "he does not seem to be suitable for provisions in the community."

Judge Michael Gledhill KC said: "You've had difficulties in your childhood and early adult life. When you appeared at Swindon Crown Court, you pleaded guilty to two very serious offences. They were trying to communicate with a child for sexual purposes and attempting to meet a child. That judge gave you a chance, but it wasn't long before you breached that chance."

The judge continued: "You were released from prison on January 14 this year and you were well aware of the sexual harm prevention order. Five days later your offender manager arrived and discovered you were using incognito mode. In these circumstances, you were arrested. This was a serious breach and it was deliberate. We don't know what you were accessing in incognito mode."

Johnson was jailed for 12 months, with his phone ordered deprived.

Judge Gledhill added: "You're now 31, you can't go on like this. You need to get on with your life and not come back before the courts."

Description

A judge has warned dangerous sex offender Siah Riley that "a life sentence is not out of the question" after he admitted to an extraordinary series of crimes against 121 young victims.

Derby Crown Court heard how the 35-year-old from Normanton created a fake online persona as a teenage boy, coercing victims—many underage, some as young as 12—into sending indecent photos or videos of themselves performing sexual acts while naked or partially clothed. Riley captured screenshots from Snapchat and organized them into folders named after the victims.

When victims stopped complying, he blackmailed them by threatening to share the explicit material. All victims were real individuals, not decoys from vigilante groups or undercover police.

Appearing from custody, Riley, of Walbrook Road, pleaded guilty to 144 of 145 charges during a 45-minute hearing dedicated to reading them out. An additional count of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence will lie on file, per Derbyshire Live.

Remanding Riley in custody ahead of sentencing later this spring, Judge Shaun Smith KC said:

"Before I sentence you I will need as much information about you in order to do what I am going to do. Obviously it is going to be a prison sentence and obviously it is going to be very long.

"Quite frankly this is a very, very, unusual case even for a judge and ex-barrister as experienced as me. There are 121 victims and these offences are not like, for example, burglaries where there are TICs (other offences to be taken into consideration).

"You have got a serious previous conviction and a life sentence is not out of the question. But if it is not going to be a life sentence it is going to be one of many years."

The offences, spanning 2021 to 2023, targeted mostly UK-based victims, with some possibly abroad. Riley admitted to:

• 12 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity.
• 9 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.
• 45 counts of causing or inciting a child under 16 to engage in penetrative sexual activity.
• 49 counts of causing or inciting a child under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.
• 5 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child.
• 2 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in prostitution or pornography.
• 22 counts of blackmail.

Judge Smith asked prosecutor Leanne Summers:

"This is an unusual presentation of the evidence, how many of the 121 victims are real and how many are decoys?"

She replied:

"They are all real people but not all have provided (victim impact) statements."

Sentencing is set for May 7, expected to last a full day.

Description

A racist sex offender sent a threatening message to BBC Radio Nottingham presenter Arun Verma, vowing to "stab you 22 times in revenge for the Manchester Arena bombing" while using highly offensive racist language.

The message, seen by station staff and Verma, breached a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) from prior sex offense convictions when Michael James deleted it.

At Nottingham Crown Court, the 57-year-old's barrister, Clarkson Baptiste, said his client "can’t explain" his motivation, has no "particular views towards Mr Verma or the BBC," and wished to apologize. James has been in custody since his November arrest, with health issues including a tracheotomy, spinal tube, and an 18-month prognosis.

Prosecutor Dawn Pritchard detailed the November 20 incident: James, a persistent caller identifying as "Michael from Daybrook," messaged, "Notts get off the radio you dirty wannabee P*** terrorist b*****d. Allah, Allah, it will be when I stab you 22 times in revenge for the Manchester Arena bombing." The station alerted police; Verma read it but made no statement. It was "clearly racially motivated," and James violated his SHPO by deleting it without permission.

James, of Frobisher Gardens, Daybrook, pleaded guilty to breaching the order and sending a communication threatening serious harm. He has an "extensive criminal record."

Jailing him for 40 weeks, Judge Rupert Mayo said:

"Mr James, I accept your apology and I don’t think anybody but you can explain why you did what you did. You sent a highly offensive and racist comment during a broadcast by the BBC which would have come up in the studio and would have been seen by the presenter and those working that evening. We have freedom of speech but that does not mean we can say what we like when we like. At the time you were the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for past offences against people younger than you and one of its requirements was not to delete any messages, which is exactly what you then did."

Description

A rapist has been jailed for 20 years after using terrifying violence to carry out his attacks.

Peter Gilbert, 54, of Manor Street, Plymouth, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence on Wednesday 18 February after being found guilty at trial of three counts of rape.

Gilbert was also convicted by a jury of one non-sexual offence, as well as pleading guilty to breach of a court order and disclosing an intimate video with intent to cause distress.

Gilbert must sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and a restraining order was put in place to protect the victim.

The offences took place in Newquay, Plymouth and Truro.

The court heard how in June 2022, Gilbert attended Charles Cross Police Station in relation to an unrelated matter.

While in the station he became flustered and started pacing the room before saying to officers that he had carried out a sexual offence.

The victim was spoken to while Gilbert was in custody and stated that Gilbert had raped her on several occasions – including after a night out in Newquay.

The victim described freezing during the attacks and Gilbert making a variety of threats against her.

A further attack took place at the victim’s home, in which Gilbert said he was twice the size of the victim and she had no choice but to do what he wanted.

Gilbert made additional threats of violence, including with weapons and showed footage of an oral rape to others. He carefully filmed the attack to make sure the victim was visible and not him.

Gilbert made no comment in interview.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Simon Carr commented how Gilbert preyed upon his victim and such was the violence he demonstrated towards her, he even stubbed out cigarettes on her arms causing scarring.

Judge Carr added that Gilbert filmed the rapes and used the footage as a weapon.

Detective Sergeant Megan Cornish, said:

“Peter Gilbert is an extremely dangerous rapist and sexual predator who used violence and threats in order to rape his victim.

“Gilbert showed no regard for her wellbeing in his evil pursuit for sexual gratification. 

“I would like to praise the immense courage of the victim, who has remained engaged from when she was first spoken to, right through to the court process.

“It is her bravery that has enabled Gilbert to be brought to justice for his crimes.

“While I do not underestimate the psychological damage caused by Gilbert’s actions, I hope she is now able to feel some form of closure.”

Description

A ‘malicious and manipulative’ man who launched a two-year campaign of abuse and harassment against a teenage boy has been sentenced to five years and three months behind bars and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Cameron Preston, 27-years-old, of Cherry Tree Crescent in Grimsby, appeared at Grimsby Crown Court on Friday, 13 February 2026 to be sentenced after he pleaded guilty to three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, and stalking involving fear of violence. In addition to his custodial sentence, he also received an indefinite restraining order, and a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Preston’s offending began in January 2020, when he met a 15-year-old boy through a social media messaging app falsely claiming he was aged 16, when he was in fact 22.

Through deliberately misrepresenting his age, he continued to gain the teenage boy’s trust over several months and went on to engage in sexual activity with him. Believing they were of a similar age, the victim entered into a relationship with Preston, and only later discovered the extent of his deception.

Between November 2020 to April 2022, the teenage boy was subjected to an orchestrated and intermittent campaign of harassment. This started when an unknown account, who went under the name ‘Connor’, would send him threatening messages and emails telling him he was being watched, and others counting down to when a stranger would arrive at his home. Fearing for his safety, he turned to Preston for help, unaware that he was the person responsible for sending these messages.

During this time, the teenagers home address was repeatedly bombarded with malicious deliveries where random parcels were ordered to his address, along with taxis and takeaway deliveries set to cash payments on arrival, sometimes up to 30 times in a single week.

A fake dating profile was also created in the victim’s name, leading to strangers contacting him, with threats to expose indecent images of him to his family and friends. Whilst all of this was occurring, Preston would repeatedly encourage him not to contact police.

In April 2022, the teenage boy attended a police station to report the harassment after he felt he could no longer endure the torment on his daily life. A detailed investigation was launched by our Protecting Vulnerable People Unit, supported by specialist digital forensic officers, uncovering evidence leading all the offences back to Preston.

Upon arrest, Preston admitted to being responsible for this sustained abuse and was subsequently charged.

Officer in the case, Detective Sergeant Lucy Proctor-Eckley said:

“Preston is a malicious and manipulative individual who deliberately targeted a vulnerable teenage boy and exploited his trust for his own disturbing gratification.

“Over a prolonged period of time, he subjected a teenage boy to a calculated campaign of harassment and intimidation leaving him in constant fear, all while presenting himself as a source of support.

“The extensive evidence uncovered in this investigation showed Preston was responsible for creating false identities, arranging malicious deliveries and attempting to isolate the victim from seeking help, all in an effort to maintain control.

"I would like to commend the victim for the immense courage he has shown in coming forward and supporting this investigation. I hope Preston’s sentencing provides some level of reassurance that he can no longer cause harm and sends a clear message to anyone committing these types of offences, it is never acceptable to prey on anyone, and we will always do everything we can to bring offenders to justice for their crimes.”

Description

A Bradford man, Jason Newall, 39, formerly of Holme Wood, has been jailed for six-and-a-half years for serious sexual offences.

Bradford Crown Court heard that his offences against the victim included strangling her, slashing her with a blade, and threatening her. Video of him having sex with her was found on his mobile phone.

The victim later began self-harming and suffered depression. In her statement, she said she felt “disgusting and used”. The court heard she endured severe psychological harm.

Newall, appearing via video link from HMP Leeds, initially denied the offences with “an elaborate excuse”. His first trial was aborted, but he pleaded guilty on the afternoon of a re-trial.

In mitigation, the court heard he now felt genuine shame and remorse.

Judge Colin Burn sentenced him to 78 months’ imprisonment, noting he had already served nearly three years and one month in custody. He told Newall: “You will have some two months to serve and then be released on licence.”

Newall must register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A rapist has faced justice 20 years after committing his crimes, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

In 2019, officers from Operation Stovewood, the NCA’s investigation into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, arrested Riyasth Hussain, 45, after identifying he had twice raped a girl of around 13 years of age in the 2000s.

The victim, now in her 30s, confirmed that she had been raped by a man who she knew by the nickname ‘Riaz’ but whose real name was Riyasth. Investigators subsequently identified this man as Hussain.

The woman told officers that she first met Hussain between 2004 and 2006, during an incident in which she was being verbally abused by a man on a street in Rotherham. Hussain – then aged around 24 – had pulled up in a car and offered to help the girl.

At a later date Hussain again stopped his car beside the girl on a street, and the victim agreed to get into the vehicle. Hussain then drove to an empty industrial estate, where he pulled the girl out of the car and raped her.

Afterwards, Hussain drove off, leaving the victim on her own.Hussain raped the girl a second time after arranging to meet her. He again drove her to a desolate location – this time a field – where he raped her inside his car.

The woman gave officers a description of the man, who she also recalled had connections to a local taxi firm, and the officers began carrying out enquiries to identify him.

Meanwhile, as part of a separate enquiry, Operation Stovewood investigators also spoke to a woman who reported being raped by a man in 2008 when she was in her 20s.

She told officers that while staying at a friend’s home one night she was disturbed by the sound of people arriving at the property.

A short while afterwards, a group of people entered her room. Soon after, and without warning, a man that the woman did not know raped her.

The woman was able to recall a small number of details about her attacker, including his physical appearance and the car he had driven to and from the house in.

Officers working from this limited information were nonetheless able to gather corroborating evidence and identify that the perpetrator was also Hussain. Both victims were later able to identify him in an identification procedure.

Hussain was today [17 February] found guilty of raping both victims, following a week-long trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced Thursday, 19 February.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan Hastings said:

“I would like to recognise the strength of these two remarkable women who, having suffered so much, showed enormous courage in reporting what Hussain did to them.

“I would like to thank both women for their faith in Operation Stovewood investigators, who were determined to identify the man who raped them and ensure he faced justice. 

“Investigating non-recent sexual abuse is complex and challenging but justice can be achieved. I urge victims not to give up hope, and to please report sexual abuse to police if they feel ready to.”

Liz Fell, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“Riyasth Hussain preyed on two extremely vulnerable victims and exploited them for his own sexual gratification.

“One of his victims was only 13- to 14-years-old during this offending. She was living in the care system and had been groomed and sexually exploited by many other men, when Hussain targeted her. Hussain took her in his car to secluded locations to rape her on two separate occasions. His other victim he raped in front of a group of others, causing extreme distress.

“The cruelty and abuse the victims suffered at the hands of Hussain was horrific, causing a lasting impact on their lives today.

“It has been extremely difficult for both victims to come forward and give evidence but they have done so with tremendous courage allowing us to bring this offender to justice.

“I hope these convictions send a clear message that the CPS, working closely alongside law enforcement, will relentlessly pursue justice and prosecute those who sexually exploit children and adults, whenever that abuse took place.

“All children and women have the right to feel safe. I encourage anyone who has been in a similar position to come forward to report these incidents to the police. It is never too late to seek justice - you are not alone and there is help available.”

The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. To date 50 people – including Hussain – have been convicted and received custodial sentences totalling more than 1,500 years.

Description

A sex offender with a "deplorable" criminal record has been jailed for volunteering at a shop near a primary school.

Anthony Cox, 62, of Cote Road, Aston, Bampton, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on February 17 after pleading guilty to three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Between November 2024 and April 2025, Cox deleted his internet history from a laptop at least 20 times and downloaded forensic software. On January 19, 2026, he failed to provide a laptop for inspection and undertook voluntary work that put him in contact with children under 16.

In March 2025, police seized his laptop during an unannounced visit; Cox admitted deleting history after viewing images of children in swimwear.

In January 2026, police found a hidden laptop and learned of his shop work, where he served a child under 16. The shop was near a primary school frequented by pupils.

In interview, Cox called the order "confusing." He has 31 prior convictions for 68 offences.

Mitigating, Nick Cotter said: "My client accepts the inevitability of an immediate custodial sentence today."

Judge Michael Gledhill KC said: "Your criminal record is deplorable."

Cox was jailed for 12 months.

Description

A man who sexually assaulted a woman after posing as a taxi driver has been locked up.

The victim, aged in her 20s, was walking home from a night out in Nottingham in the early hours of 18 May 2025 when a car pulled up alongside her in South Sherwood Street.

The driver, Kelvin Ndoro, told her the VW Golf was a taxi and she got in the front passenger seat.

When she asked to be taken home, Ndoro drove in the opposite direction before pulling into the car park of the Lidl supermarket, in Mansfield Road, and locking the doors.

Ndoro touched her leg and said they should get into the rear of the vehicle.

The victim agreed as an opportunity to escape and she managed to get out the vehicle and hide before summoning help from passers-by.

Thanks to detailed information from the woman, who also recorded Ndoro touching her leg, detectives identified Ndoro as a suspect.

He was arrested at Toddington Services, on the M1 in Bedfordshire, the following day.

Forty-two-year-old Ndoro, of Kings Street, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, eventually pleaded guilty to sexual assault.

He was jailed for 15 months at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (5 February) and was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Detective Constable Rebecca Walker, of Nottinghamshire Police said:

“This must have been a terrifying experience for the young woman and we know it has had a lasting psychological impact upon her.

“The victim’s quick thinking allowed her to escape from the car having been duped into getting into it simply to get home from a night out.

“Ndoro’s behaviour was predatory and officers worked quickly to identify his vehicle, trace it and arrest him.

“We then built a strong case against him, while supporting the victim, leaving Ndoro with no option but to admit what he had done.”

Description

A couple have been jailed after they made more than a thousand indecent images of children and shared them online.

Scott Topley was arrested after he was identified from a video found on a mobile phone, which was seized as part of an unrelated police investigation by another force.

In the video Topley was shown performing a sex act whilst viewing indecent images of children.

The address he shared with partner Gordon Phillips in Fall Road, Heanor, was searched and their devices were seized. Phillips’ device was found to contain indecent images and he was also arrested.

More than a thousand images relating to child sexual abuse were found, as well as material relating to extreme pornography and sexual abuse of their pet dog.

The men were charged on 28 May 2025.

Both men were charged with making indecent images of children, distributing indecent images of children, possessing prohibited image/s of children, and possessing extreme pornographic image/s of sex with an animal.

They admitted the offences at a hearing on 24 July and were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on 29 January 2026.

Topley, 46, and Phillips, 41, were each jailed for 6 years and 3 months.

They were also handed fifteen-year Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, and both are required to register with police indefinitely.

Officer in the case, PC Michelle Azizi said:

“Together, Scott Topley and Gordon Phillips relished in their criminality.

“They took part in harmful online activities, viewing and sharing child and animal sexual abuse material with other like-minded individuals.

“The custodial sentence imposed on them reflects the severe gravity and abhorrent nature of their behaviour”.  

Description

A teenage prisoner, Ethan Rowley, threw boiling water over a fellow inmate's groin in the shower block at HMP Nottingham, leaving the victim with blistered skin peeling from his genitals and legs.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Rowley, then 19 and on remand for serious sexual offences, carried out the unprovoked attack on November 8, 2024. He later received a 21-year sentence at Derby Crown Court last summer and will now serve an extra nine months.

Judge Michael Auty KC said:

"You are currently serving a sentence of 21 years which for someone of your age is exceptional... The circumstances surrounding this offence are that whilst serving at HMP Nottingham in the shower block you threw scalding, if not boiling, water over the victim. It caused his skin to blister, some of the skin was left hanging off his legs and groin area and caused damage to his genitalia. It is not entirely clear what the overall effects were because, as often happens with prisoners, he did not comply with the prison or give a victim personal statement,"

Prosecutor Samantha Warner explained: The victim entered the shower area where Rowley was; the defendant left, returned with a blue mop bucket, and threw its contents at the victim's groin and legs, causing immediate excruciating pain and blistering. Other prisoners doused him in cold water, and he was treated at QMC for burns to his chest, thighs, right arm, and genitalia.

Rowley, now 20 and at HMP Swinfen Hall, admitted throwing a corrosive substance with intent to burn, maim, disfigure, disable, or cause grievous bodily harm. He has prior violent convictions and was sentenced last July for raping two women in Derbyshire.

Defence barrister Gregor Purcell stated:

"I have no doubt it would have been pretty unpleasant blistering and it is undoubtedly painful and deliberate harm caused by him. He is a young man who is already facing an extremely long period inside for someone of his age."

Description

A rapist who sexually exploited teenage girls and threatened a 12-year-old girl into sharing indecent images has been jailed.

Gurpreet Randhawa carried out the vile sex attacks on two 15-year-old girls he’d persuaded to meet with him.

He raped one girl on three separate occasions between August and September last year.

On the last occasion he drove her to a car park in Wolverhampton before raping her in the back of the vehicle. When she tried to resist his advances he grabbed her by the throat.

The girl showed real courage to inform her school of the attack who then alerted us. We were quickly able to identify Randhawa – who went by the name of Ziggy - and he was arrested the same day.

We established Randhawa had used other aliases and contacted a 12-year-old girl through social media and engaged in sexualised conversations.

He sent inappropriate videos and pictures of himself and threatened to harm the young girl if she didn’t too. He even encouraged her to ask friends to do the same.

Randhawa shared with her live footage of him having sex with another girl, who he knew was aged just 15.

He smoked drugs with her, and forced himself upon the girl. She was also completely unaware the attack was being filmed.

It was through the courage of the girls in recalling what happened to them, that we were able to present a strong case against Randhawa.

He pleaded guilty to four offences of rape, two of taking indecent images of a child, a further two offences of sharing indecent images and engaging in sexual communication. These all took place between July 2024 and September 2025.

The 21-year-old, from Wellington Road, Wolverhampton, was jailed for 18 years at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday (12 February).

DC Mark Tallis, from our public protection unit, said:

“Randhawa targeted and exploited these young girls for his own sexual desires. He persuaded two of the girls to meet him and raped them.

“These were horrific experiences for the girls, as it was for the 12-year-old girl who was threatened if she did not reciprocate his appalling actions in sharing indecent images.

“It was through the courage of the girls in coming forward and telling us about these awful crimes we were able to convict Randhawa for his deplorable behaviour. Their bravery has taken a dangerous man off the streets and prevented others from being targeted.”

Description

A man who sexually abused a child over the course of six years is now behind bars following an investigation by specialist safeguarding detectives in Leeds.

David Lawn, 62, of St Johns Garth, Aberford, began sexually assaulting the victim in the 1990s. 

She then came forward to disclose the abuse as an adult, and in 2021 the Leeds Safeguarding Unit launched a detailed investigation culminating in Lawn being charged with multiple sexual offences.

He went on trial at Leeds Crown Court last month where he was found guilty of all 16 charges including three counts of raping a female under the age of 16.  

On Friday 13 February Lawn was given an extended sentence of 20 years in prison plus one year on license, and he will be added to the sex offenders register for life.  

In a lengthy and extremely powerful victim impact statement, the woman described how the abuse had affected every part of her life – you can read a summary of her words below:

“As a young child, I learned fear long before I learned safety. I should have been learning to read, to play, to trust — instead I was learning how to disappear inside myself, how to make my body small and my voice smaller.  

“As I grew older, the confusion hardened into something heavier. I learned to split myself in two — the girl who smiled and played and went to school, and the girl who carried a secret so heavy it bent her spine.

“As a young adult, I carried the weight of my childhood like an invisible rucksack filled with stones. I was already exhausted, already living a life shaped by survival rather than possibility.  

“Adulthood, so far, has been a long lesson in learning how to live with a nervous system that never learned to rest. I check doors and windows repeatedly, I plan every outing with escape routes. Even in my own home, I am scanning for danger, waiting for it.

“For decades, I lived as two people inside one body — the terrified little girl who learned to freeze, to hide, to survive and the adult who learned to function while carrying wounds no one could see. I wore a mask so well that even I sometimes believed it. But underneath it all, the child inside me was still waiting to be heard.

“This statement is her voice. This process is her truth. This moment is her justice.

“She finally has someone standing up for her. She finally has someone telling the truth she was never allowed to speak. I hope she can look at the woman I am now and feel proud. Proud that I didn’t stay silent. Proud that I fought. Proud that I survived long enough to tell her story.

“And now, for the first time, I know he cannot reach me. That knowledge is a kind of freedom I have never felt before.  

“I cannot change what happened to me. But I can choose what happens next. I can choose to speak, to stand, to reclaim the parts of myself that were taken.  

“I have a voice now. I have truth now. I have strength now.

“She is scared. I am not.”

Detective Constable Christine Walkin, who led the investigation, said:

“Lawn subjected a vulnerable young girl to a campaign of sickening abuse and this has understandably had a significant impact on her life.  

“Following a lengthy investigation we were able to obtain enough evidence to secure an extensive list of charges against Lawn, all of which he has now been convicted of.

“I would like to recognise the immense courage shown by the victim throughout the investigation and court proceedings. I hope the knowledge that Ward will now spend a substantial amount of time behind bars will provide some comfort as she works hard to move on with her life.

“I also hope the successful outcome in this case might encourage any victims of similar offences to please come forward and report them to us.  

“We treat all sexual offences, recent or not, extremely seriously. We have specialist officers who can support you through the process and will do everything we can to get justice for you.”

Description

A registered sex offender who made a determined effort to hide his internet activity from Police has been jailed for 21 months.

Peter Ash, 52, of Kenwyn Hill Caravan Park, Truro, was also found to have an image of a dog being sexual abused on an electronic device.

Ash appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence on Friday 13 February after pleading guilty to three breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention order, possession of extreme pornography and a breach of his notification requirements as a sex offender.

As part of the sentence defendant must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for seven years.

The court heard how in 2022 Ash was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse images and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order as part of his sentence.

In September 2025, Devon & Cornwall Police received intelligence that a user of an online platform had communications discussing child abuse

Ash was identified and arrested at his home in Truro.

Upon arrest it was discovered that Ash had attempted to conceal a mobile device within his home address and therefore committed several breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The breaches were a result of Ash failing to notify Police of a new electronic device, installing encrypted applications and using a virtual private network (VPN) to mask his IP address and attempting to prevent Police from tracing his internet history

An examination of a device found an image of a person carrying out a sex act on a dog, this forming the possession of extreme pornography charge.

Police Constable Dean Martin from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said:

“I welcome the sentence given to Peter Ash at Truro Crown Court.

“The conditions of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order are strictly imposed to manage risk and protect the most vulnerable members of our community in Devon and Cornwall.

“We take any violation of court-ordered conditions extremely seriously and this investigation highlights our commitment to proactive monitoring and our refusal to tolerate any behaviour that undermines public safety or the welfare of those - human or otherwise - who cannot protect themselves.

“Peter Ash made determined efforts to mask his internet history, showing no regard to the order previously given to him to curb his offending and protect others.”

Description

A woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for offences involving the sexual abuse of children, as part of a broader case involving multiple offenders.

Heidi Ludbrook, 45, of Norman Way, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, was sentenced at a hearing at Winchester Crown Court on Friday 13 February, along with Elliot Jones and two other women.

The sentences came following an investigation by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Major Crime Team.

Ludbrook admitted ten offences, including causing a child to engage in sexual activity and taking indecent photographs of a child.

She was jailed for seven years.

Ludbrook is to be made subject to indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and notification requirements, the court heard.

The abuse was reported by one of the victims when he became an adult, and enquiries identified further victims. A large number of indecent images and videos of children which evidenced the offending were also found on devices seized when Jones was arrested, including phones, USB sticks and a hard drive.

Other evidence of offending was found on devices belonging to the other defendants.

Detective Sergeant Sam Grant, of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Major Crime team, said:

“This is an appalling case. The offences spanned a number of years, and had one common theme – Jones’ awful and manipulative behaviour.

“I want to commend the victims for the courage they have shown throughout this process and talking to the police about what happened. Their bravery and telling us what happened to them has brought these four people to justice.“