Latest Offenders Bedford

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A middle-aged man who masturbated in front of two women on a London service train has been jailed. Dean Benjamin, 41, targeted his first victim shortly after 5pm on March 3 on a train to Nottingham before approaching a second woman in the first-class carriage.

The first victim noticed Benjamin staring at her while leaning on the luggage rack. Moments later, she looked back up and saw that he had placed his hands down the front of his trousers and was clearly masturbating.

She was able to text British Transport Police using its 61016 service and told a passing ticket inspector who moved her away and sat her in the first-class carriage. A short while later, Benjamin made his way to the first-class carriage and began masturbating while staring at a second woman as she worked on her laptop.

A ticket inspector was informed and an off-duty police officer who was travelling on the service apprehended Benjamin until the train arrived at Kettering station. He was removed and immediately taken into custody.

He later pleaded guilty to outraging public decency and has now been jailed for a total of 26 months. Benjamin, of Stockingstone Road, Luton, had also been in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order when he committed the offences.

DC Mohit Behl, investigating officer in the case, said: “Benjamin is quite simply a disgusting individual who targeted two lone women for his own sexual gratification.

“I hope his prison sentence serves as a stark warning to sexual offenders – we will do everything in our power to put your behind bars, without exception. If you experience or witness repulsive behaviour such as this on the rail network, I urge you to report it to us either by texting 61016 as the victim did in this instance, or by calling 0800 40 50 40.

“Nothing is too small or too trivial to report, and we will always take you seriously.”

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A paedophile who sexually assaulted three people has been jailed for 14 years, more than 20 years after the offences were committed.

Steven Smith, 48, of Grantham, was found guilty of sexual assault offences on two women and a boy in the 1990s in both Arlesey, Bedfordshire and another part of the country. Smith received a 14-year custodial sentence at St Albans Crown Court on Tuesday, December 13 and will be on the sex offender’s register for life.

Bedfordshire Police are encouraging victims of sexual assault to come forward, no matter when the incidents took place.

Detective Constable Hayley Carroll from Bedfordshire Police’s Internet Child Investigation Team said: "We are all incredibly pleased with this outcome. It serves as an empowering reminder to all members of our community – victims and non-victims – that it is never too late to report a crime.

"Our hope is that this result serves as encouragement to everyone, emphasising how powerful the process of reporting can be - for both recent and non-recent offences.

"Sexual assault is an abhorrent crime, and child victims are very often affected into their future, and it can impact their development and growth both mentally and physically.

"All three of the victims are extremely pleased and relieved that they can now move forward with some closure regarding this chapter of their lives."

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A Bedfordshire man who downloaded indecent images of the most vile nature has been jailed for three years. Michael Johnson, 73, of Park Street, Dunstable, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of children, and six counts of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Johnson was previously registered as a sex offender and had been handed a suspended jail sentence of two years for offences linked to indecent images of children. He was also given a SHPO which prevented him from owning any devices without them being registered, and downloading file sharing software.

Deborah Simpson from Bedfordshire Polices offender management team was carrying out a routine visit in November 2021 when she became suspicious of software downloaded onto Johnsons computer. After noticing this, the computer was seized, and when searching the device, officers discovered indecent images of children, which were almost identical to those previously found in Johnsons possession.

n March 2022, further enforcement was carried out by Bedfordshire Polices cyber teams, where they were joined by a specialist digital media dog for the search. A further 12 unregistered devices were discovered and seized from Johnson, which resulted in a further charge of breaching his SHPO.

He was sentenced on Thursday (August 25) at Luton Crown Court to three years in prison, and his previous suspended sentence was activated. He will also be on the sex offenders register for life.

Investigation Officer Deborah Simpson, who led the Bedfordshire Police investigation, said: "Johnson experienced sexual pleasure accessing images of the most vile nature involving very young children. He has shown no remorse for his actions, as he has continued to repeat his behaviour and ignore the prevention plan put in place.

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Two vile and depraved brothers from Bedford and Kempston who raped and sexually abused children have been jailed for almost 15 years between them.

Connor, 24, and Kiyle Lappin, 22, were both found guilty of raping a child under 13.

Connor was also found guilty of sexual assault of a child under 13, while Kiyle was found to have indecent images of children on his phone.

Connor, of Clover Way, Kempston, was sentenced to nine years for rape and three years and eight months for the sexual assault, to be served concurrently.

Kiyle, of High Street, Bedford, was found guilty of rape and pleaded guilty to seven separate offences linked to indecent images of children.

He was sentenced to three years and four months for the rape and a total of 22 months for the images offences.

This will be served consecutively, taking his total sentence to five years and two months.

DC Samantha Ostley, who led the investigation, said: Connor and Kiyle Lappin clearly pose a risk to children in our community.

Their actions are vile and depraved, plain and simple. I am glad they will now be going to prison for a very long time.

We will always be on the side of victims of sexual abuse, regardless of their age, gender and background, or the circumstances of the offence.

It is never too late to come forward and get justice. We will do everything in our power to support you at every stage of the process.

The pair were also made subject to sexual harm prevention orders for life at Luton Crown Court on Friday (19 August).

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A predatory sexual offender who admitted raping a young girl in Norfolk has been jailed.

Anthony Smith, 41, had been due to stand trial at Norwich Crown Court having previously denied a raft of offences against the girl, aged under 13.

Offences included rape, in the King's Lynn area between February and December 2019.

But Smith has been given an extended 21-year sentence, made up of 16 years in custody and five years on licence, after he admitted rape.

Smith also admitted assault of a child under 13, sexual assault of a child and an offence of causing a child to engage in sexual activity without consent.

The court heard Smith had "pestered" the victim who he met up with and took to a secluded spot by the River Ouse in King's Lynn where he attacked her despite her cries for him to stop.

Sentencing Smith on Thursday (July 28), Judge Katharine Moore described Smith as being a "significant risk of causing serious harm" to other children.

Judge Moore said: "She (the victim) was telling you no but you didn't stop.

"She was crying but you didn't stop.

"She was scared."

The judge said that from "first to last" Smith had been "grossly corrupting".

Smith, of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, was prohibited from contacting the victim indefinitely and was also put on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Robert English, for Smith, said this was not a conviction after trial for his client who entered his guilty pleas before a jury was sworn meaning witnesses were saved from giving evidence.

He said the offences were "out of character" for the defendant who has no previous convictions for matters of this type.

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "This case involved the predatory sexual behaviour of an adult over a young child.

"The sentence passed by the court reflects the severity of the defendant's actions and the threat that he poses and will ensure that the victim and public will remain safe from this individual in the future."

The spokesman added: "The victim and family wish to express their thanks to all involved and are relieved that they now have the closure they needed to move forward with their lives.

"Most importantly I hope the victim can move forward and have a happy and successful future.

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In the first incident Gallagher continued to rape the victim even after she repeatedly told him to stop, while on the second occasion she woke up to find Gallagher raping her.

Immediately after the second incident the victim called a friend to stay in her home as Gallagher refused to leave.

A victim impact statement read out in court said the victim had suffered significant trauma as a result of the incidents, which continues to this day.

At Luton Crown Court yesterday (Thursday), Gallagher was sentenced to three years in prison for the first offence and six years for the second. The sentences will be served at the same time.

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The offences were carried out against a boy and a girl

A man convicted of sexually abusing children has been jailed for a total of nine years, and added to the sex offenders register for life. Peter Crane, 65, of Billington Road, Leighton Buzzard, was convicted by a jury at Luton Crown Court on 21 January, of the offences against a boy and a girl which took place in the 1970s and 80s.

PC Matt McCarthy, from Bedfordshire Polices Protecting Vulnerable People team, said: Crane to this day refutes the overwhelming evidence against him including strong and brave testimony from the victims who were incredibly young when the abuse began, and have had to live with the consequences into adulthood.

"As well as the emotional impact of his offending, he has continued to put his victims through a further ordeal of a trial. No matter how much time has passed, we will always fully investigate and seek to prosecute any sexual offenders and would encourage anyone who has experienced abuse to come forward, regardless of when it happened.

As well as the nine-year jail term, Crane will remain on licence for a further year following the sentence and will be registered as a sex offender for life. It is never too late to report sexual abuse. To report a crime, or seek advice, call Bedfordshire Police's non-emergency, 24/7 number: 101. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service on 18001 101.

If you are concerned about a child, you can also contact the NSPCC to speak to a professional practitioner, speak to the children's social care team at your local council or contact Crimestoppers confidentially and anonymously. If someone is in immediate danger, always call 999.

The force has specialist teams dedicated to supporting victims and works with a range of other agencies to provide support. Bedfordshire Victim Care Services offers a comprehensive range of support to victims of crime, even if it has not been reported to the police. To find out more, visit Bedfordshire VCS.

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A man has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing two young girls in the 90s.

Alex Henney, from County Kenagh, Ireland, subjected two girls to multiple sexual assaults between 1995 and 1997.

Henny, who resided in Luton at the time of the incidents, was sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Friday (4 March), after being found guilty of three counts of indecent assault of a child.

Bedfordshire Polices Protecting Vulnerable Persons (PVP) unit carried out an investigation after a disclosure was made to police in 2018.

Following extensive enquires, Henney was extradited from Ireland to the UK for trial.

PC Benjamin Robertson, from the PVP unit, who lead the investigation, said: There is a huge focus in policing to bring to justice anyone involved in violence and abuse against women and girls.

Henneys victims have shown true courage and strength of character throughout the investigation and I commend their bravery in speaking up.

This hasnt been easy for either of the victims and their families to deal with.

Child sexual abuse is a most horrendous experience; it not only ruins their young years, but stays with them through into adulthood. We will never tolerate this type of crime in our county and will do all we can to support victims and put these perpetrators behind bars.

If anything has happened to you, no matter how long ago, it is never too late to come forward and tell us. We will do everything we can to get justice for you, and we have a number of specially trained officers who are here to support you.

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A man from Bedford who sexually assaulted a woman as she slept has been jailed for four years.

James Stark, aged 25, of West Rope Way, was out drinking with friends in Bedford and went back in a taxi to the victims home before committing the attack in August 2017.

Bedfordshire Police said that, after talking for a while, the victim went upstairs to bed, leaving Stark on the sofa.

Shortly after, she was woken by Stark, who was on top of her, and she pleaded with him to stop.

He fled the property, leaving behind his trousers, hat, mobile and passport at the victims house. He was arrested later that morning at his home.

The victim had gone straight to her mum and told her what had happened. In her victim statement, she said Starks actions had turned her life upside down and that her mental health had suffered.

Jurors found Stark guilty of assault by penetration following a trial in December. He was found not guilty of rape.

On Monday, February 22, at Luton Crown Court, Stark was sentenced to spend four years in prison. He will also be added to the sex offenders register for life.

DC Brendan Street, who led the investigation, said: I would like to commend the victim for her bravery in coming forward. She was amazing throughout the trial and continued to support the investigation despite a number of trial delays.

I would also like to praise her family who attended every day of trial and sentencing. Starks actions have not only had a significant impact on the victim, but also had a negative impact on her family.

Stark subjected his victim to a horrible ordeal; no woman should ever be made to feel unsafe. Our message to offenders is clear: no will always mean no.

We have a number of highly trained officers and support services working with the victim and her family.

We understand this can be difficult to talk about, but we have a number of highly experienced and trained officers and support services here to help. If you are ready to talk, we are here to listen, help, and support you.

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A teaching assistant has been found guilty of having sex with a 14-year-old pupil in a supermarket car park.

The boy was a pupil at a school in Hoddesdon, in Hertfordshire, where Hannah Harris, now 23, worked.

She tricked the boy's parents by claiming to be the mother of the boy's fictional girlfriend.

However, she was caught in 2020 when the boy's older brother found out, and has been convicted of sexual activity with a child. Sentencing is next month.

St Albans Crown Court heard Harris had contacted the boy's parents, telling them her name was Olivia, and that her teenage daughter Kayla was their son's girlfriend.

In one text, Harris wrote: "Seems Kayla and [the boy] are getting on well, so I am happy to ferry them around."

"The names Kayla and Olivia were fictions to hide the fact they were meeting up," prosecutor Simon Wilshire said.

"The parents were in fact talking to Ms Harris, as that was the number they had been given for 'Olivia'."

'Duped'

When the victim's older brother found out about the relationship in January 2020, the boy admitted both Olivia and Kayla were fictitious.

"When the parents became aware, they realised they had unwittingly facilitated the contact," Mr Wilshire said.

"They had been duped by the boy into the belief he was seeing someone of his own age.

"As a teaching assistant at his school, she [Harris] would have known his age - such activity is a criminal offence regardless of whether he believed himself to be a willing party."

In a police interview, Harris said the first contact was initiated when the boy sent her an Instagram message.

She said she replied and communication continued until she agreed to meet him outside school hours.

Custody 'inevitable'

Harris, from Harrier Mill, Henlow, in Bedfordshire, denied four charges of sexual activity with a child in December 2019 and January 2020.

Three of the charges related to offences alleged to have taken place on Dunstable Downs and at her home, but she was cleared by a jury on those counts.

However, she was found guilty of one count of having sex with the boy in a supermarket car park.

Following the verdict, defence barrister Julia Flanagan said Harris was now in a stable relationship.

She said there had been concerns for her mental health, but she had returned to working in IT, a job she held down before becoming a teaching assistant.

Judge Caroline Wigin said: "The sentence is inevitably going to be custody."

She bailed Harris and told her she must abide by a curfew between 19:00 and 07:00 GMT, and that she will also have to register as a sex offender.

Sentencing is due on 9 March.

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A "repulsive" Bedford couple who sexually and mentally abused children have been jailed for 35 years.

Nicholas Harris, 54 and Clare Buttice, 41, were jailed for 23 years and 12 years respectively for abuse that was described as "degrading" in court.

Bedfordshire Police launched an investigation after the victims came forward to report their ordeal, which also included physical violence and abuse.

The couple will have to serve at least two-thirds of their sentence before they are considered for release, must register as sex offenders indefinitely, and are banned from having any contact with the victims.

Detective Constable Nina Bradbury, from Bedfordshire Police's Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, led the investigation.

She said: "This was a horrific series of crimes, in which children were exploited into performing acts for the offenders' sexual gratification.

"These offences have had a significant impact on the victims, and they will carry this trauma with them for the rest of their lives. I am pleased the courts have issued such a strong custodial sentence and that this repulsive pair will spend a long time behind bars.

"This case was a lengthy and complex investigation, and is just one of many which demonstrates our commitment to tackling offenders and keeping children safe."

DC Bradbury added: "Protecting children from this kind of sickening abuse is absolutely imperative - and work that needs our collective effort to succeed. Our specialist officers and partnership services will continue to work with and support the victims as they try to move on with their lives.

"But if you have concerns that a child is being neglected, exploited or abused, these concerns are too important not to share. We must all play our part in protecting children."

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A barrister who was prepared to travel across the country to sexually abuse what he believed to be teenage girls he met online has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail.

Guy Sims, aged 53, had been founded guilty of three counts of arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence by unanimous jury following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.

During September 2017, Sims talked online to two people who he believed were 13-year-old schoolgirls using social media platforms Mylol and Kik.

During this investigation, the victims were not real.

Posing as an 18-year-old and calling himself ‘markbatx’ and ‘markviva’, he made arrangements to meet one of the girls and travelled to Portsmouth with the intention of engaging in sexual activity her.

When he arrived, he was arrested by officers who found he had cider and a condom on his person, along with camouflage leaf netting in his car.

He had also made arrangements to meet another of the girls either on his way home or on the way to Portsmouth on the same day for sexual activity.

While under investigation, he engaged in conversation of a sexual nature with the third person he believed to be a 13-year-old school girl in 2019.

Now calling himself ‘Yo Sarami’ and ‘Danny.dan,’ he made arrangements to meet her in Oxford for sexual activity to take place.

Sims, from Bedford, was charged in connection with the offences in 2019.

The court heard Sims will be barred from working as a barrister.

The sentencing follows an investigation by specialist officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) spanning four years.

Detective Chief Inspector Philip Attwood, of SEROCU, said: “This is the conclusion of a case in which Sims engaged in conversation of a sexual nature and arranged to meet up with those who he believed to be three teenage girls with the intention of carrying out child sexual abuse.

“Sims, worked as a civil barrister, and should have recognised the consequences of this offending.

"He demonstrated that he was prepared to go to great lengths and travel across the country to Portsmouth, to Guildford and to Oxford, to engage in depraved sexual activity with children. He repeatedly engaged with the profiles of those he believed to be teenage girls online, and the threat he posed would have continued had it not been for the continued and dedicated efforts of those working for SEROCU.

“Law enforcement operates across the internet and we are committed to ensuring those who use this means of communicating with those they believe to be children to arrange sexual abuse are brought before the courts to face justice.”

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A Bedford man who drove to the KFC car park at Kempston thinking he was meeting an 11-year-old girl for sex was jailed for for four-and-a-half years.

Ryan Massey arrived outside the takeaway in May of this year to find a group of paedophile hunters waiting for him and, after being confronted by them, the police were called and he was arrested.

The 28-year-old had been communicating online with four young girls at the time, who in fact turned out to be “decoys.”

They didn’t actually exist and their fake details had been posted on Facebook by four groups of online paedophile hunters. But Massey wasn’t to know that.

After making contact with the girls, who were aged between 11 and 15, he would quickly turn the online chats to sex, sending them pictures of male and female genitalia and encouraging them to send him intimate photos of themselves.

What Massey didn’t realise was the “girls” he knew as “Sammi” “Rosie” “Sky” and “Lilly” were in fact adult members of paedophilic hunter groups pretending to be children in order to catch perverts looking online for youngsters to groom and have sex with.

Massey, of Edward Road in Bedford, Bedfordshire, had gone to the car park on May 26 this year thinking he was meeting the 11-year-old girl, who he knew as “Sammi.”

In a message he had sent to Sammi the day before, he had said: “When I see you we can have sex for the first time.” After his arrest the police discovered he had been sending similar messages to the three other girls.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence concerning the decoy Sammi.

Massey further pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity involving the same girl and attempted sexual communication with her.

He also admitted six other charges concerning his online contact with the three other girls in May of this year who were also decoys.

He admitted three further charges of attempting to incite or cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity and three charges of attempted sexual communication with a child. The court heard he had encouraged the girls to masturbate in messages he sent them.

Sentencing Massey, Judge Lynn Tayton told him that on making contact with the girl he had “immediately engaged in sexualised conversations with them.”

She went on: “You invited them to engage in penetrative sexual activity and you sent photos of your private parts and invited them to send you photos of their private parts."

The judge said Massey had then progressed to asking to meet the girls for sex. Judge Tayton said she noted that when the “girls” had complained about what he was asking them to do, he had “pressed” them to continue.

As well as serving the four-and-a-half year jail sentence, Massey was told he would also be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period, which would monitor and supervise his computer access and his activity online.

His name will also go on the sex offenders' register and he was told he would be barred from ever taking up employment which involved working with children.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of a mobile phone found on Massey when he was arrested.

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A Bedfordshire paedophile who sexually assaulted a young girl also downloaded thousands of disturbing child sex abuse images of children as young as eight years old.

Justin Sandilands, of Shefford, Bedfordshire, has been jailed for four years for sexual assault and downloading child sex abuse images onto his computer and other devices.

Police found the material after visiting Sandilands’ home in September 2019.

Officers had gone to the address in Church Street, Shefford, after receiving information that he had been viewing the material.

Luton Crown Court heard that when the items seized were examined it was found Sandilands had 36 Category A images of young people - some as young as eight - being abused.

This is the level given to the very worst depraved material found online.

He also had 123 Category B images - the next most serious category - and thousands of Category C images.

Officers could see the search terms Sandilands had been using to seek out the sickening material on the internet, some of which included moving images of child sex abuse.

In court on Friday, August 13, he appeared for sentence having earlier pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child, three offences of making indecent images of a child and one offence of possessing a prohibited image.

Judge Gary Lucy jailed him for a total of four years and ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the devices on which the material had been found.

Sandilands was also told he would be made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order which will, once he is released, monitor his internet use.

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A "callous and selfish" Bedford man who pleaded guilty to having sex with a child has been jailed for five years.

Stuart Tomey, 36, committed a number of sexual offences against a teenage girl between April and November 2020.

He was arrested by Bedfordshire Police in December after the victim came forward to report on his actions.

Detectives praised the bravery of the teenage girl, who said in a victim statement: “The impact that this has had on me affects me every day.

"I really struggled with accepting that I was a victim and blamed myself for what happened, but as the time has gone on I learned that this was not my fault.”

Tomey, of Rutland Road, Bedford, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child. He was sentenced on June 16 to 57 months for each offence, which will run concurrently.

He received a further three months for breaching his bail conditions, totalling five years in prison.

Detective Constable Rebecca Goodman, from Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People team, which investigated the offences, said: “Tomey’s selfish and callous offending has resulted in him receiving a lengthy prison sentence."

She added: “Our force takes reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and we are committed to protecting vulnerable people in our county, and especially in cases which involve children.

“This comes after a second court case concluded this month and resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for child sex offences.

“Hopefully this will encourage further victims of such offences to come forward, no matter when it happened. We will believe you and investigate your report, and we will work with our partner agencies to find the right support for you.”

In a statement, Bedfordshire Police said that victims of rape and sexual assault can receive support and guidance from the force and partner agencies, including the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), as well as support through the criminal investigation process.